


Stasis

by ImperialMint



Category: One Piece
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-09 00:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7780384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImperialMint/pseuds/ImperialMint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s an island and a decision. There’s a decision and there’s a consequence. There’s a consequence and there’s a recovery. Luffy makes a choice (it was never going to be a hard one), and the others are there to pick up the pieces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Off-screen torture, brief description of injury (physical and mental), slight trauma due to the off-screen torture, mention of animal hunting for food purposes and brief butchery scene (nothing graphic, but it is mentioned).
> 
> Commissioned by [roronoazorosgloriousasscheeks](roronoazorosgloriousasscheeks.tumblr.com)! Thank you so much for letting me write this amazing fic. I enjoyed it so much and it's become very dear to me. I hope others like it! This story is already completed so I will be updating frequently. It's approx 26k at completion.
> 
> Thank you to [lunarshores](lunarshores.tumblr.com) for betaing!

It starts like this – there’s an island (when isn’t there), Nami’s frowning at her wrist, Luffy is shouting, practically hanging off of the Sunny, and the weather changes in a flash. Rain pours down like a waterfall, the sea churns below them, Franky takes the helm, they’re sailing off towards the island, and Luffy doesn’t shift from his position at the front of the ship, despite the biting rain against his face. He isn’t going to miss anything for the world.

“LUFFY!” he hears someone shout – Nami. She stands at the edge of the ship with Usopp, both of them decked in heavy raincoats. They’re holding one for him, and warmth blazes in Luffy’s chest as he stretches an arm out, a welcoming contrast to the weather around them.

“It’s an island!” he offers as they slip the coat on him. One of his hands winds its way around Usopp’s wrist, quite literally, and Usopp offers a wry grin, shivering a moment later as a drop of rain from his hood drips down onto his nose.

“I think,” he begins, and Luffy can feel humour pulling at him – it’s been awhile since he’s heard the next words - , “I have a I-can’t-go-on-this-island illness, captain,” Usopp finishes, and they laugh, a muscled arm throwing itself around Luffy’s shoulders. Nami rolls her eyes, but doesn’t say anything when Luffy’s other hand snakes around her shoulder and pulls her in, swaying against the rocking of the Sunny as Franky holds them in the storm.

There is a clap of thunder, three seconds after lightning forks above them, but they don’t pause, marching onwards to the grass. Franky grins as they pass, and he calls out jovially. He’d have struck a pose if his hands weren’t needed at the wheel, Luffy knows, and he grins even wider. The rest of the crew are there, waiting, and Luffy doesn’t care if this is a horrid storm. They’re all here, ready to go at his command, and he resists the urge to hurl himself at them, to tell them how important they all are to him. They know it, but things have been so hectic that they’ve hardly had time to think. Saying it can wait, Luffy thinks after Nami begins ordering them, watching the clouds above. They have an island to get to.

It’s nothing remarkable, not like Fishman Island, Zō, or even Big Mom’s territory. It looks boring for the New World, if Luffy’s honest, but there is a feeling in the pit of his stomach that says otherwise. Anticipation bubbles, and he can’t help the laughter that rises from his throat. He’s excited, of course he is. There’s a brand new world to explore right in front of him, and it’s all he can do to keep a hold of Usopp while they near the harbour, in case he jumps at his instinct and goes hurtling off to explore.

“What kind of island is it?” Luffy hears Sanji ask, and Robin makes a curious sound, holding her umbrella with an extra arm. She brushes hair out of her eyes as she replies, and there’s something gentle in the gesture.

“I’m not one hundred percent sure,” Robin replies. She doesn’t know everything, Luffy thinks, but if there was anyone to find out everything about this island, it would be Robin. She shoots him a small smile, something secret that lets Luffy know she’ll be setting out alone when they dock, and he hopes she’ll find what she’s looking for.

“A trading island,” Brook inputs, hovering over them all. He’s sipping tea, donned in a bright yellow mac, and Luffy tilts his head, wondering who makes such a long coat. It’s down to Brook’s ankles and looks as if it’s been tailored for him. Well, Luffy reasons, Brook was a star, perhaps everything he has is now tailored perfectly.

“Trading?” Nami calls from Franky’s side, eyes gleaming with possibility. They have goods to trade, big and small they’ve gathered from their time travelling in the New World, and the useless ones will end up being traded for better things, things they’ll actually need .

Brook hums, setting his teacup down on the saucer. “It used to be the liveliest trading port in the New World, but things broke down after…” Brook slows, taking up his teacup again. Luffy rocks on his heels, wondering if Brook is going to finish that sentence, and when Sanji, Usopp and Chopper yell at him, Luffy just turns and laughs.

He doesn’t need to know the history of this place. Even if he heard it, Luffy wouldn’t remember it. He has more important things to remember, more important things to do, and history isn’t something he ever clings to. There are others on the crew to do that for him.

He stomps his feet as Franky steers them into the harbour. The weather’s changed now, puffs of cold air escaping from all of them, and Sanji ducked away to grab them thicker coats. Chopper is enjoying the climate, sprawled out on the grass as snow begins to fall, and Luffy laughs as Zoro scoops him up, tucks him under one arm and brings him over to where Luffy is. They all gather by him, aside from Franky, staring at the new island, and something strange curls in Luffy’s stomach.

Something isn’t right here. There’s something strange on the air, in this place, and it rattles against Luffy’s bones. He knows the others can feel it, from the way Sanji is slowly sliding his lighter from his pocket to the way Zoro’s wrist grazes his swords. It’s in the way Robin crosses her arms over her chest, how Usopp narrows his eyes and looks out across the bay (despite the fact he’s huddled against Nami, Chopper sandwiched against them) and in the way Nami’s gripping the side of the boat, eyes fixed on their pose. They can all feel it, the badness of this place. It’s never stopped Luffy before, and it won’t stop him now.

“Luffy,” Nami breaths, more of a sigh than a plea. “Just wait.”

He nods, feet still scuffing the ground, and wonders for a moment if he should change shoes into something sturdier, something warmer. It takes all off Luffy a second to decide that no he doesn’t, and if he needed better shoes, someone would have fetched them for him.

“It’s an island,” Luffy says, a smile slipping over the last traces of unease. They’re past the end of the jetty now, and there will be no going back from this point.

“It’s an unmanned scary island,” Nami mutters in return, shaking her head and closing her eyes. “Just wait for a bit longer, then you can go.”

Luffy concedes fingers wrapping around the side of the boat. It’s to ground him, even as Franky calls that he’s going to stop them here, setting the anchor down and striding over to them.

“Well then,” he says merrily, pushing sunglasses up to the top of his head with his small hands. “What now?”

It’s been a long time since they’ve had an island to explore and no reason to explore it other than curiosity. It’s an odd feeling. There are no missions, no higher objectives. They are together, completely, and this is an unexpected trip.

“Nami,” Luffy says, and his voice is an unashamed whine. He notes Nami’s sigh, her pleading look to the others of the crew, and the way she shakes her head, turning to him with a grim smile.

“Fine,” she says, and Luffy is off before the word is finished. He turns on the jetty as Zoro and Sanji are the next to step down, and Zoro offers him a feral grin.

“I’m going to find things to fight,” he announces, and bumps Sanji’s shoulder. “I’ll bring you meat,” he promises quietly, and Sanji nods, puffing on his cigarette.

“You do that Marimo,” he says fondly, before letting Luffy know his plans to go with Chopper around the island for supplies. The others seem to be heading to look for some sort of town or city, and Luffy nods briskly.

“Alright then,” he says, and before they can decide who will accompany him, Luffy takes off. It’s not that he doesn’t want the company, but he wants to get going right now. There’s so much to explore and so much to do, he can’t sit around here any longer.

The pebbled beaches give way to scrubby trees that in turn give way to hulking jungle. It’s a strange, mismatched landscape, as if someone has cut and stuck land together. Maybe someone has: there are stranger powers out there.

Luffy continues on, storming through the jungle. His feet crunch as the trees give way to a skeletal forest, one fully in the grip of winter. While it’s only striking him odd that there is a jungle here now, the thick trees and rich flora bare, and Luffy slows, snow covering his feet to the ankles. His toes are blue, but he refuses to give in, and there’s something ahead, a dip in the land.

It’s unnaturally quiet, there isn’t even a breeze. The only sound is the blanket of snow as it falls, and the thud of Luffy’s feet as he storms onwards. His cheeks feel bright pink, but he’s grinning away, excited to see what curiosities lay in the dip.

It’s a door. There, connected to a sloping concrete structure that goes down into the earth, is a door. In the middle of a strange island in the middle of nowhere. It’s a door, a door that begs to be open, and Luffy follows his impulse.

The handle is cold as he pushes down on it. It needs  considerable force to open, but snow and ice finally crunch as the door gives way, and Luffy’s pushing into the tunnel, vaguely surprised to see that the hallway is lined with torches. Lit torches.

So there are still people here then. But what are they doing hiding underground? Luffy isn’t that interested in the answer, if he’s honest, but where there are people, there is food. And where there is food, there is meat, and meat is just what Luffy fancies right now. Well, what he always fancies.

He almost breaks into song as he strolls down deeper into the tunnel. He refrains, mostly because the echo would ruin the song, but also because something is telling him to keep quiet, the same heavy shroud that had greeted them at the jetty. Luffy knows there is something here, and he’s not sure if his excitement is appropriate.

The tunnel is nice smooth stone all the way down. There aren’t going to be any cave-ins here, and it reminds him of something. His feet pause as he remembers another tunnel underground he’s been in, and Luffy tries to shake memories of descending into Impel Down away. This isn’t Impel Down. This isn’t a place belonging to the marines or the government. He’s not going to get caught.

There isn’t a reason for him to stay through gruelling punishment. This isn’t Impel Down, he repeats to himself, and forces his feet to move. He’s grown since then, he’s gotten more powerful. Luffy can protect the people he loves now. This isn’t Impel Down.

With some effort, Luffy turns his mind to what may be ahead. There is a slight breeze now, calling him in, so the tunnel has to open to somewhere. He doesn’t know where, but that’s all part of the excitement. He’s about to find out the beauty of this island, and when he turns the last corner, Luffy isn’t sure what he’s expecting.

It’s just a room. A large room, with a tunnel on the other side, but it’s a room nonetheless. In the centre is what appears to be some sort of grate, and Luffy steps slowly into the room. It’s bare, completely bare, aside from a sleeping den-den mushi. It’s massive, one of the ones that broadcasts in public, and Luffy wonders what it’s doing here.

“Hey,” he says bluntly, ambling over to the snail. “Why are you here?”

Bleary eyes open and close, and the den-den mushi shifts. It’s not a big movement (when is it with den-den mushis), but the implication is clear: leave me alone.

“Come on,” Luffy says, squatting down in an attempt to be level with its eye stalks. “Why are you here?”

The den-den mushi doesn’t move, simply closes its eyes, and that is that. Luffy feels disappointment curl around him, and he sighs, looking around the room.

“This is boring,” he declares, looking around. Where’s the food? Where are the people? Who builds a tunnel and goes to the trouble of lighting it if they’re not even going to be here? It wasn’t… Luffy turns back to the den-den mushi.

“You didn’t light the torches, did you?” He’d be amazed if the den-den mushi had. He didn’t think they had arms, but he’d never asked one.

“Hmm,” Luffy says, crossing his arms. “This is boring.”

He stands, ignoring the den-den mushi as its eyes follow him. If it’s not going to play nice, he doesn’t want to know. This is boring, and he has other things he could be doing. Luffy sticks a hand in his coat pocket, heading towards the centre of the room. He peers down at the grate, not expecting anything, and that’s when things get a little more interesting.

As soon as his foot touches the grate, a number of things happen. The tunnels seal off, and how that happened Luffy doesn’t quite understand. His foot feels numb, and the numbness travels up his leg. He falls down, face against the grate which is _clearly_ made from sea stone. He’d recognise this feeling anywhere, and he lets out a moan, trying to haul himself up. He’s barely managing that when the den-den mushi moves, fully awake and functional as it opens its mouth.

“Ahh,” a voice says. It’s a robotic sounding voice, as if someone doesn’t want Luffy to know who they are. “We have another.”

There is a sinking feeling in Luffy’s stomach, and he pushes himself up. He doesn’t stand, not yet where there are too many unknown quantities. He’s not sure what he needs to punch yet, but punching something is undeniable. Punches solve everything.

“Huh?” he answers eloquently, still feeling the sting of sea stone as he tries to move away from the grate. He manages it – just – as the den-den mushi turns so he can see its side. A screen flickers on, the logo of the marines coming clear into view.

Well shit.

“The New World is a strange one,” the voice from the den-den mushi is saying. “In the end you all fall for our island, though.” There is a laugh, and Luffy feels like he’s missing the joke. Instead of it being a carefree feeling as it always is on board the Sunny, this sinks to the bottom of his stomach, and he has no idea what it means.

“It’s a very subtle thing, but we’re able to manipulate the currents, thanks to the power of a Devil Fruit,” the voice says, satisfaction dripping from every word. “You were caught in out trap hours ago, just like a fly in a spider’s web.”

Luffy frowns. He has no idea what his situation has to do with spiders, and he’s bored. He’ll just punch his way out – the gate has to give, sea stone or no sea stone – and he pushes himself up.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the den-den mushi says, following him as Luffy makes his way towards the tunnel. There’s something in the voice that makes him pause, and he waits. “If you leave, you’ll be the only one getting off of this island alive.”

The laugh returns, and the screen on the den-den mushi flickers. It reveals a set of cells before it pans closer, showing eight tiny crush cages, one of his crew members inside each. The fact that Franky and Brook both fit perfectly inside slightly altered cages shows Luffy that these people, these marines, knew exactly who they were hunting, and they fell right into their trap.

“Let them go,” Luffy says, and the voice laughs again. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Luffy fights not to just fly at the tunnel entrance. He doesn’t know where his crew is, and this isn’t something he can just barrel through. It looks like every one of them is unconscious, and if Luffy isn’t careful, they’ll be ripped away from him.

“No,” the voice says, and Luffy takes in a sharp breath.

“Let them go,” he repeats firmly, and the den-den mushi blinks at him, the camera panning over each of his crew members’ faces before it flickers back to the marine sign.

“How about we do something else,” the voice says, and Luffy narrows his eyes. Whatever it is will be horrid, he knows that, but if it protects the ones he loves then he’ll do it.

“Your crew will remain unharmed.” It’s a promise, not one that they will go back on, and Luffy tilts his chin, narrowing his eyes. These things don’t come without a catch (see Thriller Bark; no one knows that Luffy knows, but he does, and the thought of all that pain and suffering Zoro went through just for him fills Luffy with purpose and strength), but Luffy will protect his own until his last breath.

“And?” he demands, practically spitting the word. There is none of his good humour or kindness left in him right now, and the voice’s cruel laugh echoes.

“And in return, you will face their punishment as well as your own,” it says, and the den-den mushi’s eyes widen. It isn’t long before it tucks itself away into its shell, just as Luffy feels the ground shake.

There is something coming into the tunnel, and Luffy turns to it with his fists clenched and fire burning in his blood.

They want him to suffer? They won’t get to him without a fight.

.

Something feels strange, Nami thinks as she opens her eyes. She feels hazy, as if she’s been sleeping for too long, and her body aches. She can see why immediately – she’s in a tiny cell, barely big enough for her to be lying with her legs tucked up, and that’s what she’s been doing for fuck knows how long.

“Luffy?” she asks quietly, more a murmur than anything. She hears someone stir outside the cell, and she sits up warily, wincing as her entire body laces with fire. She hasn’t ached this bad for years, and it unsettles her.

“Nami,” Usopp whimpers, and she can’t blame him when she manages to crawl out and see _his_ cell. Nami’s is practically luxury in comparison, and the position Usopp was dumped in looks as though, should he move the wrong way just a touch, he’ll break something.

“Where are we?” she asks, looking to the other cells. Her heartbeat slows a little, counting off the cells and the bodies emerging from them. They all look worse for wear, and Robin moves steadily over, drawing the rest of the group after her. They sit in a huddle, half-leaning against each other and groaning, trying to place the world back together.

“Does anyone remember anything?” Sanji asks calmly, frowning as he pats his pockets. Whoever captured them looks to have raided everything they have, and Nami touches the bare skin on her wrist, stricken.

“No,” Zoro grunts, and he’s antsy, swords visibly missing. Nami can’t blame him; she feels so out of place without her bracelet and log pose, she can’t imagine how Zoro feels to have lost part of his identity.

No one remembers how they ended up here, they all realise, and a cold feeling draws over Nami. None of them have mentioned it, but she knows they’re all unsettled by the fact that Luffy is missing. Luffy who went off by himself.

Chopper moves around the group, and Nami realises he’d been checking everyone over, despite not having his backpack. His face is drawn with concentration, and he presses his ear to Usopp’s chest, nodding to himself. She smiles, slightly, and meets Robin’s eyes when she looks up. They share the smile, and then it’s time to get to business.

Though he won’t fully commit with certainty, Chopper thinks they’ve been out for at least a day, probably more than that, and he looks away when they ask exactly how many. Perhaps three days, he admits quietly, perhaps more. Nami doesn’t know how they could have spent so much time down here and not… know it. She isn’t hungry, she isn’t about to explode from lack of going to the toilet, she feels exactly how she did when they stepped on the island.

“Where is Luffy?” ventures Chopper, and everyone looks down. They don’t know, that’s the thing, and they all remember the last time they didn’t know where Luffy was and they’d been in danger.

“We’ll go find him,” Nami says firmly. She bites the inside of her cheek, watching her family shift uncomfortably. “And find our missing things. Whatever bastard took them deserves what’s coming to them,” she says, with far more confidence than she feels.

For some reason, Nami has a feeling that something bad has happened. She has a feeling that a choice was taken away from them, and that there is something terrible lying before them. She has nothing to base this on, though, and so for now remains quiet. The others are thinking the same, she can tell from the way Franky isn’t cracking jokes and even from the hollows of Brook’s eyes.

Something is terribly wrong.

All the doors they come to are unlocked, the hallways silent. This place has the feel of a lab, and Nami takes Chopper’s hand gently, squeezing as he shivers. Usopp’s on her other side, pressed against her, and the others crowd around them, everyone packed tightly. It’s not often they all compact like this, and it fills Nami with dread.

It’s as they enter a large hall that they see the sign on the wall. It’s faded, but nevertheless they can see it, and Nami’s heart sinks.

“So this is a marine base,” Sanji murmurs, and Robin hums, tilting her head slightly. Nami can see why; there is writing underneath the gull wing logo, and Robin makes a disconcerting noise low in the back of her throat.

“Was a marine base,” she corrects quietly, tucking hair behind her ear. She looks at Nami, worry clear on her face, and that’s when Nami knows they are in terrible danger. Robin never lets her worry shine through in her expressions, but here she is, clearly worried, and Nami wants to march off to find Luffy right now.

“We’re on a stasis island,” Robin says, moving to the wall. She presses a hand against it, closing her eyes for a moment. “I heard about this when I was with the Revolutionaries. It’s a former marine base that was shut down years ago for their conduct. Apparently their behaviour was unsavoury, even when it was enacted on criminals, and the marines did not wish to be associated with them anymore.”

Nami’s heart clenches.

“So it’s bad,” Usopp says, and Robin nods curtly. “We need to find Luffy,” he finishes, and they move on in a cluster, sticking tight. This time, Usopp doesn’t hesitate in taking her hand, Chopper back on the other side.

They walk and they walk and they walk, and still there’s nothing. There’s no hint of a person around, but they have to be somewhere. They didn’t magically appear here, that’s for sure.

Which leads Nami to thinking of how they did end up here. She remembers being with the others, exploring the only town on the island. They’d thought it a little odd that the town had been empty, devoid of anything and everything. There had been no food, no animals, not even a breeze. Nami had complained loudly, and then Franky had called out that there were a handful of den-den mushi, one for each of them, if Nami remembers correctly.

Was that how they’d gotten here? It seems the most likely cause of action, but she’s never heard of den-den mushi taking people captive. They are passive creatures, creatures that are happy to sit and do nothing for long periods of time, not sneak up and attack people.

“The den-den mushi,” Nami says, and looks around, as if one will jump out now and tell them where to go. And maybe hand over their stuff, that would be nice.

“It’s not impossible that den-den mushi do unexpected things,” Sanji comments, and of course he’d know a little more about unexpected den-den mushi than the rest of them. Not that he could have predicted a (seemingly) abandoned stasis ex-marine island with (potentially) murderous den-den mushi.

“How does that help us though?” Usopp says, sighing. “We need to find Luffy and get off this island.”

They all agree with that, but how do they find Luffy? The building they’re in is a maze, and surely he wouldn’t still be outside, would he? The only thing that would stop Luffy rescuing them is if Luffy was indisposed himself, so he had to be trapped somewhere. Nami swears that if he’s stuck between two buildings or something ridiculous again she’d going to hit him so hard that battling against a pacifista looks like eating cake.

“If he’s here, he’ll be in the centre,” Robin says, her eyes closed and arms crossed. Nami shivers as she feels Robin’s powers spread over the base, and she knows that Robin has enough strength again to scout their area. She is looking, and she’ll find Luffy in no time.

Even for Robin, though, it takes a considerable amount of time, and there is sweat on her brow before she nods, letting her arms drop as her power returns.

“I found a room I think he’s in. I was unable to see inside, but if there is somewhere capable of holding our captain, it will be that room.” They move together, marching onwards with Robin at their head, leading them. Soon they’ll be reunited, and soon they can escape off of this island. Soon they’ll have Luffy and nothing else will matter. They can go home and sail away from this place.

In the end, it takes almost an hour of walking and weaving through the maze of a building before they’re standing outside a tunnel. It’s dark down below, and there are bars across the entrance. A den-den mushi blinks slowly at them, eyestalks moving to count them all. There is the sound of static that emanates from its shell, and Nami narrows her eyes.

“Oi,” Sanji grunts, and both him and Zoro march up to the bars. “Open up.” It’s a demand, a threat, and Nami watches as the den-den mushi slides to the side, exposing its shell.

“You did well,” a voice says, grating and distorted. Nami has no idea if it’s a male or female voice, human or otherwise. She doesn’t really want to know, doesn’t care enough to know, and watches as Sanji widens his stance. Zoro, too, slumps a little, hands prepared to rip the bars apart.

“I will grant you access in a moment,” the den-den mushi voice says. “And you can leave the island. Or at least try.” The words aren’t reassuring in the slightest, and Nami know that, if this continues, they’ll all be bringing the bars down.

“Your captain and your things are inside,” the voice says. “You’ll have two minutes to grab everything and get out, or we’ll repeat the past few days.”

Nami feels a shiver run down her spine, and she nods to Zoro and Sanji. They’ll both go in, and Robin steps up too, ready to ferry their objects out. There is a pause, and then Robin calls for Franky to join them.

It’s a nerve wracking few minutes, and all they can do is stand and wait. The bars slide down with an ominous clank, the den-den mushi peers out at them, sliding past as Robin, Franky, Zoro and Sanji run down. They have two minutes, hardly any time, and who knows how big the room inside is. There is silence, even after the others are in the room, and Nami feels the rest of them draw together, waiting for the inevitable.

Arms sprout on the ground, passing their possessions out, and Nami restocks herself quietly, glad for the distraction. It has to have been at least a minute, and the worry in her stomach grows until it’s something so uncomfortable she can’t quite stand it. She wants to move, wants to run inside and hurry them up, but she stays. She’ll just make things worse, and they wouldn’t spend more time there unless they had to.

Robin and Franky emerge together, and Franky is cradling something – Luffy – in his arms. He shakes his head when Chopper moves forward, and that’s how they know it’s bad. They need to get off this island to look after Luffy, and that means it’s something that can’t be patched up in a moment.

Zoro and Sanji follow slowly, clearly distrustful of the den-den mushi and the voice. Together they move, Chopper the one to lead them this time, shifted into his full reindeer form, nose pointing the way. They make it out with relative ease, far from the sea, but that’s okay. They’re getting there, and Nami has to force herself to look ahead, and not at the rag-doll form in Franky’s arms.

It’s a rush to get to the ship. As they begin moving from the building, in fact as soon as Chopper sets one hoof on the floor outside, a siren blares around them. It’s a trigger, and they break into a run. There is no fancy technology that can save them, no amount of strength or accuracy. They just have to run to the Sunny – that is the only way they’ll be safe. They can get out of here with a blast, the weather doesn’t matter. The wind isn’t on their side, but anything to get distance between them and this island is all that matters.

“Duck!” Franky shouts, and Nami does so just in time. Usopp’s the one who turns on his heel, slingshot out as he fires something behind them, a gigantic plant covering their trail a split second later. It looks like a man-eating plant, something to trap whatever has followed them.

They carry on running, and the sea is visible now. It’s within reach, and Nami wants to reach out to the pathetic bundle in Franky’s arms, tell Luffy that they are almost there, that they’ll be home soon. She doesn’t dare break pace, none of them do, and they’re soon sloshing through the sea, water seeping through their clothes. It’s cold, colder than it should be for this kind of island, and they wade to the Sunny, Robin’s arms helping to haul them out of the water. They settle on deck, ducking projectiles that are thrown their way, ignoring whatever is pushing against the bottom of the Sunny. Nami refuses to look – her eyes are stuck on Franky’s arms, and how he’s so gentle as he follows Chopper, the two of them vanishing inside.

“Go!” Sanji shouts, and Nami registers Zoro leaping at something, swords smooth as they glide through the air, and she feels Brook’s cold hand on her arm.

“We need to get going,” he says gently, and she wonders how he is taking this. Brook’s seen his entire crew die before, and Nami’s resolve steels. She nods, moving over to the steering wheel, and Usopp’s already hauling the anchor up. They’re off in a matter of moments, but it’s not enough.

“Hold onto something!” Nami shouts, and she nods at Brook. Together they set the cannon loose, blasting off and away from this island. They land in the middle of the ocean, far away from islands, and Nami doesn’t want to look at her log pose to see what mess it’s in. All she knows is that they’re away from the island, and that’s the important thing.

It feels too easy, in a way, but she’s not going to tempt fate and question this. They are away, there doesn’t seem to be anyone chasing them, and they can focus on Luffy right now.

“I’m going to find us an island,” Nami says firmly, though she has no idea how she’ll find any island, let alone a good one to recover by. This is the New World, though, and they cannot afford to stay in the open water, not when Luffy is in this condition. They need somewhere to recover, somewhere where they won’t be found, and the open ocean paints them as a sitting target.

She watches the log pose, narrowing her eyes at the movement. She thinks she’s started to get a hang of the patterns, and she waits. She can feel Brook watching her, but he says nothing. She is aware of the others too, Usopp who is tidying the loose items up around the deck, Zoro who is scanning the sky, Robin who still has her arms crossed and is pointed in the direction they came, and Sanji who has headed to the kitchen. They’re still all on edge, and she doesn’t think her silence helps.

Just a moment more, Nami thinks, watching as the log slows every few seconds, wiggling one way just a little more. She waits one more time to be sure, and then nods. There is a calm island to their left, a fair distance away. It’s against the wind and looks like they’ll face a storm soon enough, but it’s an island that has a steady atmosphere around it, and that is what they need. She just hopes that, if there are people, they won’t be disturbed.

“Brook,” Nami says, eyes darting between the sky and her wrist, and he steps up to the wheel as she moves slightly. This is how it’ll be until they get to the island, and Nami is hardly aware of the others settling down to wait, waiting for Luffy, waiting for an attack. All they can do it wait.

They’re going to make it, Nami thinks. They’ve made worse than this, much worse, and Luffy is stronger than any of them. They haven’t been trapped long, and no matter what they did to him, Chopper will heal him. They’ll be safe and will continue on as always, that’s for sure.

There is a voice in the back of Nami’s head that contradicts this, but she shakes her head slightly, shivering as the air gets colder. Perhaps they’re headed to a winter island, and she hopes they have enough fuel stocked up to keep warm.

When the infirmary door opens, everyone stills, eyes darting in Franky’s direction. He closes the door quietly, though the sound echoes even over the lapping waves. He looks tired, not that Nami can blame him, and he just shakes his head, sitting down on the stairs. There’s nothing they can do, the head shake says. Chopper will do what he does best, and then they’ll be able to see.

Nami bites her lip, meets Brook’s hollow eyes, and returns to watching the log and the weather. Hairs are standing up on her arms now, but she doesn’t leave her post. With Luffy out of action, she is the one who has to lead them now, who has to get them somewhere safe, and there’s no way she is going to fail. She hadn’t paid attention to the log at the last island and it had cost them dearly. A power that drew people in had to do something to the log pose, surely, and Nami curses herself for not paying more attention to it.

The New World is unlike anything they’ve experienced before, and she’s still been so lax about it. She can’t do that anymore, she can’t just expect to leap and have someone else save her. Nami needs to wake up and do more for herself.

A blur becomes visible on the horizon, and Nami nods. It’s the island they’re aiming for, judging by the slight quiver in the log arrow, and she notifies the crew. There’s still hope to be had, and they will not lose that hope until there is no choice.

They are strong, and they will persevere. Luffy will not die, they can do this.


	2. Chapter 2

Usually, there would be no point in taking notes. Chopper can memorise unlimited injuries and treatment plans without worry, but this is something different. He picks his pencil up again, marking down another set of small injuries and continues on. He doesn’t have time for treatment plans, not when there are so many injuries (and that isn’t taking into account the injuries Chopper can’t see). He’s never seen Luffy this defeated, and it worries him. It’s not the minimal physical wounds that are worrying, this time.

“What did you go through?” slips past Chopper’s lips as he moves on, eyes raking over the surface wounds he’s checked onto paper. He’s already scanned for the most important damage – there is a little minor internal bleeding and what seems to be a handful of cracked ribs – and Luffy seems to have escaped the serious damage well. In fact, this is one of the least damaged Luffy has been – there are many injuries, yes, but none are big and make Chopper worry for Luffy’s safety.

No. These are not injuries from a brute attack. These are calculated injuries that were given to Luffy for a purpose. He is injured for a reason, and Chopper has a feeling it has to do with how the rest of them are untouched.

Chopper starts slowly. He’s already dealt with the internal injuries, with Franky’s help, and now he has to patch up the surface wounds. A few need stitches, and Chopper debates whether to wrap up Luffy’s hands completely – there are a number of nails missing and the palms are very scratched and bruised. He does so, careful not to aggravate the injuries too much, before he turns back to his paper, checking and adding treatment plans and times.

This is going to be a long-scale thing, Chopper can tell, and he needs to make sure that the others can do what he needs them to. He’ll need them to take over when he sleeps, especially the moment Luffy wakes up.

The mind is something Chopper will admit he cannot heal. It’s eluded doctors for all of time, and there is no set way to heal the mind. Whatever Luffy has been through, Chopper is almost certain that most of the damage will be inside of his head. There are marks around Luffy’s neck that worry Chopper as he smooths salve over them, marks that tell of some kind of strangulation, and he just hopes that the damage done is not too great.

Tears prick at the corner of Chopper’s eyes as he prepares his suture kit, but he takes a deep breath and ploughs on, sealing a wound on Luffy’s thigh. It really is something to have damaged a rubber man this much, and Chopper dents two suturing needles before all the wounds are stitched and he can finally back away from Luffy.

It is so very strange seeing him this calm and quiet, and it unnerves Chopper greatly. Even when quiet, Luffy is ever still, and even when he is still he is never quiet. There is always movement, always something, even when he is unconscious after fighting. There is barely a whisper of his breath right now, and Chopper almost wants to call for someone else to come in here, just so he can be sure that Luffy doesn’t slip away when he turns his back.

Reaching for the small den-den mushi on his desk, Chopper connects to the phone in the kitchen. Sanji is still there, and he sounds weary when he answers.

“How can I help?” he asks, no fuss or pleasantries. He knows what is happening, and Chopper pauses, trying to gather his thoughts.

“He’ll be on IV fluids for a while,” he starts, and Chopper hears Sanji murmur something. It doesn’t sound as if the sentence was formed of proper words, but Chopper can guess what was said. Sanji is, naturally, a feeder, so to hear that Luffy – of all people – isn’t going to be eating, it’s unsettling.

“I’ll bring something for you though,” Sanji promises, and Chopper thanks him. He hopes Sanji caught what he didn’t say, and he sets his pencil down, reaching for his pestle and mortar instead.

Three minutes later, Sanji enters quietly, a tray in his hand. He sets a plate and drink down for Chopper, and then sits on the floor by the door, a plate and drink at his side for himself. He did understand Chopper’s silent hope, and they both look towards Luffy for a few minutes.

“I’ve done the best I can,” Chopper says, feeling he needs to explain, needs to say something. Sanji nods, drawing his knees up to his chest.

Chopper gets to see the best and worst of his crewmates. Whether they realise it or not, the infirmary changes them all. It’s not that they don’t like being in here or don’t trust him, but the body remembers what it has experienced. They know that this is the place where they recover, a place they come to right after they are hurt. Bodies are smart in that respect, and whether any of them mean to, they all react.

Sanji, right now, is reacting. He’s made himself as small as he can, as if he can stay of out Chopper’s way and keep himself hidden, and Chopper wants to reassure Sanji – all of them outside too – that Luffy will be fine, that there is no need to worry.

Except he’s put Luffy on fluids, and that is something that has never happened before for an undeterminable time. Even when Chopper’s considered it before, Luffy’s always defied expectations and eaten anyway, so it’s been useless. Now, he’s not moving, not doing anything, and this is something none of them have experienced.

“He’ll be okay,” Chopper says, in a voice that is firmer than his beliefs. Of course he knows Luffy will be alright, in the end, but they have to get there first. Chopper has a lot of faith in his own abilities, but sometimes he wishes he doesn’t have to use them. Luffy’s life is in his hands, and what if he makes a mistake?

He won’t, it’s that simple. Chopper can do anything, will do anything, but there is never a comfortable moment for him when he’s healing someone. There are too many variables, and until Luffy is moving and awake, Chopper will not be the most confident he could be.

“Of course he’ll be okay,” Sanji says, a small smile gracing his lips. “He’s got you looking after him.”

Chopper flushes. It’s one thing to believe in himself and another entirely to have others believe in him.

“There’s always a limit to what I can heal though,” Chopper admits. Luffy is strong and will pull through anything, or at least everything they’ve come up against so far. “It’s the things I can’t heal that I’m worried about.”

Sanji nods, understanding.

“That’s where we all come in though,” he says, and Chopper nods, expecting nothing less. “You’re doing a great job, don’t believe for a second that’s not the truth.”

Chopper nods. He does know it, but he does miss having Doctorine there with him sometimes. She’d always let him bounce ideas and call him out on his ridiculous tangents. Chopper has gotten better at that since leaving, but he’s still got a while to go. His mind always runs with the worst case scenario first (once he’s out of the imminent danger zone), and he’s still learning to not let his fears grab a hold of him.

“Do you know where we’re headed?” he asks, and Sanji shakes his head.

“Nami-san has us on course to an island, but even she isn’t sure what will be waiting for us.” Sanji reaches for a cigarette, but his fingers still, and he goes for his food instead.

“Depending on how long Luffy’s out, we might need a town to restock from,” Chopper says. He can do well with plants and other things they can forage for, but there are some items he will need to buy from humans.

“We’ll give the island a good sweep when we get there,” Sanji promises, though there is a pause after his words. Chopper doubts any of them want to separate after what happened on the last island, but it’s just a reality.

They eat the rest of their meal in silence, but it’s not as damning a silence as it was before. Chopper is sharing his space with people he loves, and he knows that they can get Luffy through this.

There is a knock on the door a little while later, and Robin steps inside, a coat in her arms. She is also wearing a thick coat, and Chopper registers the drop in temperature, closing his eyes at the comforting feeling.

“We’re near a winter island,” she explains, handing the coat to Sanji. “Nami says we’ll be stopping soon, they’re just looking for a good place to hide the Sunny. After we’ve stopped, and if you’re comfortable, we all wanted to meet in the kitchen and talk.”

Chopper glances over at Luffy, as if he might rise from the bed and cheer at the thought of a new island. He doesn’t, of course he doesn’t, and Chopper deflates slightly as he looks at Robin. Both she and Sanji are wearing almost identical looks of worry, and Chopper knows they feel exactly the same as he does.

“That will be good,” Sanji says, and Chopper looks back at his list, then his clock. He doesn’t have to do anything for a few hours yet, and he nods.

“I can spare the time.”

The island is a winter one, and it looks like there is a town somewhere, judging by the sight of a harbour over the breakwater they’re hiding behind and the rise of smoke a little onto the island. It reminds Chopper of home, and he spares himself a moment of nostalgia before heading to the kitchen to join the others. He itches to return to Luffy as soon as he’s out of the door, but a watched pot never boils, and a watched patient never heals, as Doctorine says.

It’s the first time in a few hours that Chopper’s seen most of the crew, and they all look at him with wide, scared eyes. He nods slowly, sitting down at the table as Sanji sets out a light dinner and drinks. None of them are particularly hungry, but they all eat, knowing they need the nutrients. They’ve been through an ordeal, and whether it was a stasis island or not, they still have days to account for, even if they can’t actually feel it.

“This seems to be the safest island nearby,” Nami says a minute after starting her food. “I have no idea how friendly the natives are – Robin and Zoro are going into town later to judge that. If anyone needs anything, give them your orders.”

She pauses, taking another mouthful. Her hair is knotted and tied back, scruffier than Chopper has ever seen it. She has dark circles under her eyes too, and her cheeks are flushed red from the wind. Nami has been standing on deck this entire time, no doubt weathering whatever was thrown at her to get them here, and Chopper wants to thank her, but he is too far away to pat her hand. He settles for a smile, and she smiles back.

“Never leave the ship alone,” Franky says, and Chopper remembers the way he’d burst into tears when Chopper had declared Luffy out of the danger zone. Franky knows exactly the extent of the damage Luffy went through, for Chopper was busy shouting orders and getting Franky to pass him things as he got the worst of Luffy’s condition out of the way.

“At least two people, preferably more. The rest of us stay on the ship with Luffy-bro,” Franky says, and no one disagrees.

“Chopper is in charge of us when it comes to Luffy,” Nami says, and everyone nods. It doesn’t need saying, not really, but they need to talk, need to come back together and strengthen their bonds. They need a plan, and plans always build up from the bottom.

“I’m drawing up treatment schedules, and I want everyone in at some point to learn what to do. You probably know it, but I want to show you again anyway,” Chopper says, and they all nod. It’s simple, mainly just cleaning and reapplying bandages, but it’s the talking that will be important. They need to talk to Luffy, remind him they’re here and he can come back when he wants, that he is loved and always will be. The mind can be a dark place, and Chopper is not going to abandon him.

“Can you tell us how he is?” Brook asks, and Chopper nods, setting his empty plate to the side and standing on his chair. He meets everyone’s eyes in turn, and then begins.

“Physically, this is nowhere near what he usually gets into,” Chopper says, and there is a small titter of laughter. Zoro and Sanji trade a glance, both sharing a smile, and the rest of them shake their heads.  

“Mentally though, I have no idea. He’s hardly moving, hardly making any noise, and that is unusual for Luffy.” Chopper bites down his worry, knowing that the others are worried just as much, and he hopes he can calm some of those worries, not set fire to them.

“He will recover, but I don’t know how long it will take or how he will be when he wakes up,” Chopper finishes, and everyone seems to be holding their breath, waiting for something.

That something, Chopper realises a second after finishing talking, is for Luffy to burst in the room and laugh at them. It doesn’t happen, and they carry on, as if none of them had held out such a hope.

“That’s good,” Usopp says quietly. “It won’t be long, and then we’ll all be laughing at this.”

They nod, sharing smiles as they stand and prepare to get on with whatever needs to be done. Sanji retreats to the kitchen with Brook, who helps with the dishes, while Zoro comes to stand next to Chopper. He wants to come see Luffy – they all will at some point, Chopper knows – and he nods, taking Zoro into the quiet, still infirmary.

“He really is quiet,” Zoro says, taking almost the exact same spot Sanji did before. He lets his legs spread out though, looking over at Luffy’s form on the bed. “It’s not right,” Zoro admits, shooting Chopper a quick look.

“No,” Chopper agrees, and he looks down at his paper, grabbing a pen and some lined sheets of paper. He’ll write out what needs to be done over the next few hours and begin training the others, he thinks, and edit the plans depending on what Luffy needs.

Zoro stays for a long while, until Nami knocks on the door and asks Chopper what he wants. He hurriedly writes out a list, anticipating things they might need should things take a turn for the worst, and it ends up a little ridiculously long. He worries that whoever they buy the goods from will know they have an injured person on their ship, but he worries more for Luffy’s future safety. Plus Zoro will take care of anyone who thinks they can come up against them, Robin too, and Chopper’s guilt fades a little as Nami winks.

“Get going then, moss-brain,” she says cheerfully, adopting one of Sanji’s many nicknames for Zoro. He grunts, shoots her a quick grin, and takes the paper from her fingers.

“This better not be coming out of just my allowance,” he says, and Nami rolls her eyes, making a show of it.

“Despite my wavering judgement based on that behaviour,” she says, and Chopper smiles, this conversation too familiar, “I’ll let you use my money too. Haggle as much as you can though, I’ll know if you didn’t even try.”

Zoro nods, all business when it comes to Nami and her money, and Chopper lets out an amused sigh. It’s almost as if everything is back to normal, and he knows this will be good for Luffy to hear. He needs to know they are okay and they are off of the island. He needs to know they’re safe and they’re doing what they always do.

“Alright then, witch,” Zoro grumbles, but there’s no heat in it. He’s still smiling, and soon the three of them burst into laughter. In any other case, Chopper would have been shouting at Nami to close the door and chastising them both for causing a ruckus, but the noise just attracts the others, and soon everyone is crowded around the door, smiling or laughing at something they have no idea about.

“Good luck in town,” Nami says when things have calmed, and Zoro nods. Robin has two bags already, one on her back and one in her hand, and then they’re off, jumping the distance between the side of the Sunny and the rocks at the base of the breakwater.

Chopper watches for a moment, but then he heads back to the infirmary, knowing it’s time to check Luffy’s fluids and adjust them. He needs to change the bag, and on the way he snags Usopp. He might as well start teaching everyone now, and Usopp watches carefully as Chopper directs him. They go over the checklist Chopper has made, that they need to check the less savoury things such as catheter bags and general bedsheets in case any blood has seeped onto them. Chopper doesn’t think it’ll be much of an issue until Luffy does start moving, but Usopp shrugs anyway.

“This kind of thing doesn’t scare me,” he confides, and Chopper stills. He’s changed the fluid bag and he tilts his head as Usopp looks down at Luffy, a sad smile on his lips.

“My mother was ill for a long time, I used to do a lot for her, where I could.” Chopper looks away, nodding. He never forgets how many people all of them have lost, but he still feels sad whenever he hears about it. There are so many people that he’ll never be able to save, and in a way he’s glad things happened how they did (for he’d never have met this crew if they hadn’t), but it still upsets Chopper to know he can’t help everyone.

“He needs company,” Chopper says, once they’ve gone through the checklist and Usopp is comfortable knowing what to do. “We need to show him we’re here, that we’re all good, and that he can return when he’s ready.”

Usopp nods, dragging Chopper’s spare chair over to the bedside and sitting. He doesn’t do anything for the longest moment, but then he’s launching into a bold tale that has Chopper half-believing in it. It’s impossible, for he knows Usopp didn’t just get back from diving into the ocean, but he laughs as he listens along, delighting in Usopp’s broad gestures and his knowing looks as his voice dips. He is a natural storyteller, and time passes as Usopp’s tales grow.

The sun is setting before Chopper realises, and while he’s been keeping up with his times for Luffy’s treatments, he is surprised when Robin pokes her head in, bag heavy with things from his list. Zoro thuds in after her, shaking snow from his hair and grumbling about Sanji, and Usopp’s story pauses.

“We managed to get most of what you wanted,” Robin says, shrugging her back off and setting it down. Chopper moves to it instantly, nodding as he begins taking inventory. They really were able to get everything he needed, and he thanks them each with a small hug, beaming as he begins to put away his wares. He feels as if he’ll be covered for all possibilities, and Usopp gets back into his story as Robin and Zoro sneak out quietly. They’ll be back soon, Chopper thinks, and he turns away from his list to watch Usopp as he finishes up his latest story.

He knows it’s one that Luffy will love.

**.**

Brook watches and waits. He’s sitting outside with Nami, the two of them on the deck despite the cold and the fact it has begun to snow. Sanji’s been supplying them with hot tea, and it cools in moments once it has left the thermos flask. No one suggests they move on to a warmer spot, and Brook is thankful for that. He has no idea how Nami will react, and isn’t sure how he himself will take such a suggestion.

“Thank you,” he says politely as Sanji tops their tea up. This lot is accompanied with some small biscuits, and he informs them that dinner will be soon. Brook nods, Nami hardly registers someone else is here, and Sanji nods in return. It’s a big thing to do, for Sanji, but he’s entrusting Nami to Brook. She needs someone to talk to, and he’ll gladly do it.

“It’s not that I don’t have faith in our beloved captain,” Brook begins, pouring them both a drink. He pushes the biscuits towards Nami and feels satisfied when she takes one, nibbling on it gently. “I believe Luffy-san will make a full recovery in no time, and that we’ll be back on our road to Raftel soon.” There is a pause, and Nami looks at him sharply.

“But?” she says, looking at him with wide eyes.

“But there is always the question of what if,” Brook states simply, because there always is. His faith in Luffy is unflappable, but humans (or former humans he supposes) will always question. It’s a survival instinct, one that led them all to Luffy in the first place.

Nami doesn’t seem to like that answer, and she looks back down at the map she’s drawing. It’s of this island, and the last remarkably. Brook would say she has a photographic memory, but Nami always brushes him off and smiles when he says that. They all have things they’re good at, she says, and map-making is hers.

They’ve both been in and had Chopper teach them what Luffy needs. It’s fairly simple, and Brook doesn’t think Chopper will leave them for long when he does go. It’s fair enough, Brook would be the same if he were in Chopper’s shoes.

“We know that Luffy-san will be okay, but that doesn’t stop us worrying,” Brook says, and Nami finally sits back, wiping ink-stained fingers on her jeans. She meets his eye and nods, lips drawn tightly together.

“Of course Luffy will be okay,” she says firmly, gathering her things together and patting the half-finished map. “We’d be poor underlings if we didn’t worry about him.” Nami smiles, something that might fool a stranger into thinking she’s okay, but any one of them would be able to see that she’s not. None of them are, not really.

The thing about the stasis island is that it got Brook too. Usually, due to the fact he is a skeleton, he’s able to avoid attacks that render the rest of them unconscious. This time he was just as powerless as the rest of them, and he feels as if he’s let them down somehow. It’s ridiculous, it was out of his control, but he can’t help how he feels.

The most he can do now is put his efforts to helping Luffy get through this, and Brook nods to himself, standing and offering Nami a hand up. She ignores it, passing him some of her map-making things to hold, and they walk inside together. There are no dangers here; Robin and Zoro let them know that the town is familiar with pirates and operate on some kind of ‘no talking’ policy. If the marines come, they’ll plead ignorance, but until then, pirates are welcome, and it’s worked in their favour.

“Dinner!” Sanji shouts from the kitchen door, and everyone else who has been milling about trying to look busy stands, heading to the kitchen. Usopp and Chopper are still inside the infirmary, and Brook sees Franky poking his head in, letting them know, despite the fact they had probably heard Sanji.

Dinner is simple, some sort of fish and rice dish. It tastes wonderful, as always, but Brook isn’t really paying attention to it. None of them are, not when Chopper enters looking tired, Usopp nudging him along every few steps.

Quietly, Chopper updates them on how Luffy’s doing. There is no change, he says, and he sounds a little defeated. Ten minutes into dinner and his face is in his plate, rice covering his cheek as he naps. No one has the heart to wake him, and they continue on as if they haven’t noticed Chopper snoozing in his dinner. Not even Sanji seems bothered by this, despite his refusal to waste food, and he’s smiling.

“I’d like to play something for Luffy-san after dinner,” Brook says, and the others nod. He’ll be taking the next shift is what he really means, and he hopes they can get Chopper away for a while to rest up.

When he enters the room, Brook’s shoulders slump. Despite what Chopper had said at the table, that there have been no changes, Brook had been hoping for, well, something. There is absolutely no sign that Luffy is healing, and he can feel panic bubble inside of him. He doesn’t let it get any bigger than a small burst, and Brook takes a deep breath, shaking his head.

This isn’t like before. This is nothing like his old crew and misfortune. Luffy has the devil’s luck, and they’ve gotten through worse than this.

It isn’t even the fact that Brook might not fulfil his promise. He knows, one day, he’ll see Laboon again. He’ll live longer than the rest of them, there’s no doubt about that, and one day the panic will become a reality, and he will lose this crew too.

Brook wants more time. It’s selfish, but he knows that Luffy’s time is far from up. He is the man who will become the Pirate King: they all know it. He has to get there, and this stop with the stasis island means nothing in the grand scheme of things. It’s a minor setback, one that they’ll laugh about in a month or so. It’s one Luffy probably won’t even be aware of, as ridiculous as that is.

Still, he can’t help but think. What if this is it? What if this is the one? What if this is the end?

Brook looks down, staring at Luffy’s pale hand. It’s the one attached to the drip, and it looks so strange inanimate. He’s used to Luffy pulling and pushing at things, his hand snaking around his shoulders, balancing against Brook’s ribs as he asks questions about everything and anything. Luffy has always been so curious, and it is so odd to hear the questions silent now.

“I’d like to play you a song, Luffy-san,” Brook says respectfully, taking his violin from its case. He plucks the strings carefully, despite knowing the violin is perfectly in tune.

His fingers dance over the strings for a moment, starting his song, and then his bow is in his hand and he’s playing fully, an old shanty he knows is popular amongst some of the larger crews. He thinks that Luffy’s friends, the Red-Haired Pirates, would have played it, and he sways in time to the music.

It shifts into Bink’s Sake, as a lot of his songs do, and Brook slows down. This is a song that has so much history in his bones, and Luffy knows that. They all know that, and Brook takes strength in that. It is a song that causes him heartache and hope, and it embodies all he feels for Luffy right now.

There is an unearthly silence as the last note falls silent, and Brook sits down in the chair by the bed, violin on his lap.

“I never feel as if I thanked you enough for letting me join your crew,” Brook says, and he can only say this now because Luffy is unconscious. If he was awake, he’d be shouting over Brook’s words, laughing them off as he wraps an arm around him, pulling him close. It doesn’t matter to Luffy; Brook is their family and probably was the moment Luffy laid eyes on him. Still, he feels he has so much to thank Luffy for, and he’ll never get to if Luffy is awake.

“I don’t know if I deserved a second chance. My devil fruit power seemed to think I did, but I was never sure if it was something I earnt.” Brook taps the wooden shoulder of his violin, eyes drifting over Luffy’s chest as it rises and falls slowly. He looks a little stronger than earlier, breaths firmer, and Brook can feel Luffy recovering in his very soul.

“I don’t think I can ever thank you enough, but I’ll keep on trying. You are my captain, and you will undoubtedly become the Pirate King,” Brook says firmly, and he picks up his violin again, the beginnings of a celebratory song playing out on the strings. It’s something he’s been working on for a long while now, something he’s kept secret, and it’s something he will play at their celebration feast after Luffy has his crown.

It won’t hurt to play some now, he reasons, and Brook is still plucking away gently when Chopper enters, rubbing his eyes. Nami has followed him in, and she shakes her head as Brook offers her his seat. Instead, she takes the floor, lying on her stomach. She looks like she’s ready to sleep but seems determined to stay here.

It isn’t long before the others slide through the door, and Brook has never thought Chopper’s infirmary would be able to hold them all. He’s glad he’s been proven wrong, and he brushes shoulders with Zoro as they adjust. It’s a strange atmosphere, similar to that of a celebration, but far quieter, with a dash of macabre.

Everyone on the crew has experienced hardship, and Brook’s never felt like he’s substantially older than the others before. Now, he feels as if he has to say something, even to Robin and Franky. So he does, plucking the strings as he does so, hoping to lighten the mood.

“Does anyone know the story of the sailor who married the wind?” he asks, and everyone shakes their head, looking at Brook as he stands. It’s an old song, one that is often overlooked as it never fits the mood. It’s too jolly to play at sombre occasions, but too melancholy to play in celebration. It’s a perfect fit for this occasion, and Brook begins to play softly.

The others are caught up in his song, and they come alive, swaying as Brook does, heads bobbing when he gets to the intense staccato, closing their eyes to the final handful of notes. It’s a beautiful song, and it draws them together in this small room, soothing their worries and blossoming their hopes.

Brook sits back down, listening as Usopp claims he met the original composer of that song, and everyone rolls their eyes, even as Chopper falls for it. This is the family he has worked hard to keep, a family he has grown and loved for years, even when they were apart. Luffy knows this too, and that is why he’ll never accept Brook’s thank yous. They need Brook just as much as he needs them, and he feels something soothing and warm spread through him.

“Wait!” Chopper calls suddenly, wriggling in Nami’s arms as she sets him back down to the ground. He is quick to move to Luffy’s side, and everyone is silent, no one daring to move. Brook holds his breath, and while it’s not as effective as the others doing it on account of him not actually needing his breath, it’s something.

“There!” Chopper says, and they all lean in, eyes narrowing as Chopper points to Luffy’s arm. None of them are sure what they’re meant to be seeing, until his fingers press against the bed and his arm stretches a little more. His hand is clambering towards something, and that’s a good sign.

“Luffy!” Chopper says, and he turns to look at them, grin wide on his face. “He moved!”

Brook picks up his violin again, reprising Bink’s Sake, and the entire crew join in this time, singing the words loud. Luffy’s arm is still stretching slowly, probably on course to find proper food, and Brook is glad it’s not the arm attached to the fluids.

They form an odd party, crammed into the infirmary. Brook gives his chair up to Chopper, who doesn’t complain that he’s had to relocate as his own desk and chair are given up to drinks and snacks. They trial Luffy with a few lighter, healthy things, which his fingers accept and make their way to his mouth. They go down slowly, though the speeds picks up with each things Luffy devours, and Chopper’s laughter is enough to put a smile on all of their faces.

It’s late – early even – when they all finally get kicked out, Chopper shooing them when Luffy’s hand stops reaching for the food. It’s a reminder that he isn’t fully better, for if Luffy was then there would be no stopping him until the ship was empty. As it is, he’s eaten perhaps the same amount he would in an afternoon snack, and none of them can mask their disappointment when his hand finally returns to its resting place.

None of them particularly want to sleep, but Brook can see the sun rising, and he manages to shoo most of the crew to bed. Franky and Sanji stay with him, the latter heading to the kitchen to grab them a bottle of wine, the former standing at Brook’s side as they watch the sun rise.

“Here,” Sanji says, offering each of them a glass. It’s an old wine, something from South Blue Brook would wager, and it bursts into flavour as he sips at it. He still doesn’t understand how he can taste things, but Brook isn’t going to question it, especially when Sanji is his meal provider.

“The marimo and I are going hunting tomorrow. According to him, there’s a good hunting place on this island. All you have to do is sign up and you can take anything you want. I figure it’s a good time to stock up,” Sanji says, and Franky nods, grinning as he sips his wine delicately.

“We’ll need as much as we can,” Brook says, and they stare out at the sun quietly for a while, leaning against the railings and letting the wine warm them all from the inside. They don’t need to say anything, and Sanji slips off quietly eventually, most likely heading to catch some sleep before he starts breakfast. Brook can hear the sound of Zoro starting his morning training, and Chopper is still up, there’s no doubt about that. All of them are running off hardly any sleep, but that’s fine.

It’s a small sacrifice to pay, after all.

**.**

Three days pass and Luffy is off of the drip, eating for himself. It’s not really progress, not considering Luffy is one of the strongest men in the world and has never been ill before, but it is something. It means he’s getting there, and he’s regaining his strength bit by bit.

Usopp changes the bag under the bed, changes the sheets the best he can without moving Luffy too much, and then wipes Luffy’s face clean. It isn’t much, but they gave him a proper bath this morning, and it’ll do until the next change.

“No improvement,” Chopper says, and worry is clouding his voice. It’s the fact that Luffy has made progress and seems to be stagnating now that bothers him, and Usopp wishes he had a story that could smooth out the worry on Chopper’s brow.

“Don’t worry, Doctor Chopper!” he says, giving him a thumbs up. “He just needs a bit more time.”

Chopper knows that, of course, but Usopp can tell he worries. He probably doesn’t mean to have the doubts he does, but they always creep in. Usopp knows that more than most people, and he sits on the chair by the bed, wondering what grand tale he can tell Luffy now.

He decides on something truthful this time, recounting the island he went to in the time they were separated. He thinks Luffy would have loved the beetles, and maybe they’ll be able to visit the island at some point. Nami needs to make a map of it, he reasons, and he tells Luffy as much.

“Right then,” Usopp says a little later, standing and stretching. He needs the toilet, and some fresh air, and Franky mentioned something about showing Chopper an invention he’s been working on. Usopp knows nothing more than that, and he’s not sure he wants to know more. Ignorance is often bliss with Franky’s inventions.

Something catches Usopp’s shirt, and he looks down, fully expecting to have caught on a wire or the bed or something. Instead, Luffy’s fingers are clamped around the fabric of his shirt, and Usopp looks over at Chopper with wide eyes.

“Chopper!” he says, when it’s clear Chopper is busy reading something. He looks up quickly, but his eyes don’t fix on where Luffy is holding Usopp. It takes a moment for Usopp to register, and he follows Chopper’s line of sight, heart thumping in his chest as he sees that Luffy’s eyes are open, just slightly, and he has a soft smile on his face.

Chopper is there in an instant, wandering around Usopp to get to Luffy’s side. They manage to have a whispered conversation, in which Luffy doesn’t once let go of Usopp or let his smile slide, and then Luffy’s eyes close and his grip goes lax.

There is silence in the room for a moment, and Usopp has forgotten all about the fact his bladder is about to burst or that Franky will be bringing something weird in at any moment. He looks at Chopper hardly believing what has happened, and Chopper has tears in his eyes.

Usopp doesn’t need telling, and he rushes outside, calling to everyone. He shares the good news, and Sanji starts cooking meat. If Luffy’s recovering well now, he’ll be crying out for meat sooner rather than later, and Sanji is not going to let him down.

The others head in, and Franky doesn’t seem upset at all that his creation needs a little longer to be shown to Chopper. Usopp makes a quick trip to the toilet and then returns to the room, and he’s spent more time with all the crew in here the past few days than they have the years before. It’s almost nice, Usopp thinks, if not for the fact Luffy is indisposed.

Not for much longer though.

He doesn’t wake in the first few hours, and their numbers fluctuate. Nami and Robin vanish together to nap at one point, and Usopp finds them slumped in the kitchen, along with Sanji who is humming away and fixing up a huge variety of meat dishes. They do have a lot of meat, courtesy of Sanji and Zoro’s hunting trips, and Usopp knows it won’t be long now until it’s all eaten up.

“Ah!” Franky says a little later, and both Zoro and Usopp, the only other ones in the room, look at him. A rubbery hand is clamped around the metal of his arm, and Luffy’s eyes are open more than they were before, smile in place again.

“Luffy!” Usopp says, pushing Zoro and Franky closer, until they’re practically on top of Luffy. If anything, his grin gets bigger, and Usopp smiles in return, relief flooding him. They’d all known Luffy would be okay, but seeing it, properly, is another thing entirely.

“We should get Chopper,” Usopp says, and before anyone can say or do anything, he’s off, calling out to Chopper.

Of course, his call draws everyone back, and Luffy manages yet another whispered conversation with Chopper before his energy wanes. Well, a whispered conversation and a plate of meat Sanji’s brought in. He lasts for longer than the other conversation, something Usopp has a feeling has to do more with all of their presence than the meat, but it’s inevitable that he drops off back to sleep.

It’s a pattern that continues over the next day or so, until Luffy is finally able to stay awake for almost his usually amount of time. He isn’t speaking properly, voice hoarse from what Usopp’s gathered was some form of strangulation, but the bruises and cuts all over his body are mostly faded now. He’s almost himself again, though Usopp has noticed that Luffy won’t quite meet all of their eyes for very long, and that is something that is strange when concerning Luffy.

He is recovering, Usopp reminds himself. Sometimes he forgets that Luffy is actually human, for he’s usually some kind of monster. He needs time, like any of them should, but the fact that it’s Luffy makes it seem so odd.

A week exactly after they left the stasis island, something odd happens. Usopp is alone with Luffy, who is busy with a plate of ribs, sauce all over his face and hands.

Luffy stops eating, eyes going blank. There is nothing from him for a few seconds, and Usopp pauses in talking, calling Luffy’s name. He has to go so far as shaking Luffy’s shoulder, and then he’s back, blinking and frowning, as if whatever happened is as much a mystery to him as it is to Usopp.

“Are you okay?” Usopp says, and Luffy looks down at his plate, licking sauce from his cheeks.

“I think so,” he replies, uncharacteristically meek. “I don’t know.”

That’s when alarm bells start going off, and Usopp knows Luffy knows it too. He calls Chopper in, they explain what happened (well, Usopp does, Luffy gets back to his food, and it’s nice to know that not everything has to change), and Chopper heads to his desk, flicking through books.

Usopp doesn’t know if the books will have answers, and Chopper doesn’t seem to either. He works through the physio steps with Zoro’s assistance, moving Luffy’s legs and keeping him supple. He would probably be fine without their help, and it’s a surprise he is still in bed (Usopp’s got a few beri on Chopper drugging him, the others have all thought up other reasons), but Chopper’s said they need to do the exercises so the exercises they do.

“What cool things to eat are there?” Luffy asks Zoro as they push Luffy’s legs in. Or well. Usopp pushes Luffy’s leg as far as Zoro allows it. Luffy’s rubber powers make stretching a little awkward.

Zoro launches into an explanation of the flora and fauna of the hunting area, and Usopp tries not to laugh too much at his descriptions. According to Zoro, there are twenty things that are brown and fluffy, and about six types of fruit that are yellow and hang down. Sanji would know their names, but Zoro is the one Usopp loves listening to when he describes things. They all sound the same, and watching Zoro’s eye narrow as he gets more and more annoyed with his audience’s reaction is priceless. Luffy loves it too, and he keeps on asking, smiling with each new-yet-similar description.

His eyes drift to Chopper, and Usopp is a little worried, though he won’t admit it. He’s still scouring books, little frown on his face, and Usopp has to force himself to look away. There’s nothing Chopper can’t heal, and if he can’t do it right away, he’ll find an answer.

“I want to go see,” Luffy whines, and it’s so hard to remember that he’s been through something terrible. Not even Chopper has been able to talk to him about that, and Usopp has a feeling none of them want to know. There’s a residual guilt amongst them all, for not being there when Luffy needed them (again).

Usopp excuses himself quietly, heading to the kitchen. Nami, Robin, Brook and Sanji are there, Sanji cooking (he’s hardly stopped since they’ve gotten off of stasis island, and don’t they all just have their own coping mechanisms) and the others commenting on the newspaper.

“There’s nothing on Luffy in here,” Nami says as he enters, and Usopp nods, thankful she’s predicted his question. “We’re laughing at their attempts to censor a skirmish that has clearly resulted in a marine defeat.”

Usopp feels a smile tug at him, and he joins them, thanking Sanji when he sets down a cool glass of water and a sandwich beside him. Sanji nods, dark circles under his eyes, before he heads out of the kitchen. Usopp has a feeling he’s gone to check on Luffy.

“We need to get him to talk about what happened,” Usopp says simply, and the atmosphere at the table changes. He hates being the one to break the mood, but he always has one foot stepping in the doom and gloom reality.

Nami bites her bottom lip and looks down. Brook nods slowly, and it’s Robin who speaks.

“It’s that bad?” she asks, and Usopp shrugs.

“I’m not sure. Chopper’s looking into it, but Luffy had a moment where he just… wasn’t there.” Usopp can remember how his mother was, towards the end. She had moments of clarity, moments where she’d hold him close and whisper stories of the sea and of how much she loved him, but there were longer periods where she had no idea who he was, or even who she was. Usopp doesn’t think he could bear to see Luffy like that, and while they have no idea what will happen, it’s a possibility. It always is.

“It’ll get better when he’s allowed out of bed,” Usopp says firmly. He’s sure it will, Luffy’s hardly mentally stimulated where he is right now, and his mind is bound to wander back to darker places.

“Of course,” Nami says, folding the paper up. “Maybe you should go to the town and see if there’s anything that can cheer him up until then. Take Sanji with you, he needs to get off this ship before he starts cooking non-edible objects.”

They share a laugh. It’s a possibility, at this rate, and while Usopp bets Sanji will cook their clothes into something perfectly edible, he’s quite fond of his possessions. He also has a feeling that a trip onto dry land will do him some good, and he nods.

“Alright then,” Usopp says, not even worrying that he might step afoul on this island and face some odd beast. There’s no room to be terrified when he has a mission. “If there’s anything any of you want, let me know. I’ll find Sanji, freshen up, and then we’ll head off.”

It’s a stable plan, and Sanji agrees readily. As soon as Usopp asks if he wants to come into town, Luffy launches into detailed explanations of what he wants for food later. It’s the standard; meat, meat and more meat, and it’s so good to see him shouting away again.

They hop onto the rocks by the breakwater, and Usopp frowns at the collection of marine life that is building up on the bottom of the Sunny. They’ll have to do some scraping and housekeeping soon, he thinks, and while the collection of barnacles and other various things is nice to look at, they need to stay sleek and quick. Every second counts when outrunning their enemies. Maybe Usopp will start cleaning with Franky later. It all depends on how much longer they’re here for.

“I don’t like people sacrificing themselves for me,” Sanji says, lighting up a cigarette as they walk towards the village. The path that had been covered in snow upon their arrival is more grey slush than anything now. Most of the island seems to be melting, and Usopp misses the cleanliness of the white snow.

“No,” Usopp says, because he doesn’t either. He may be a coward, but he can be brave, and he doesn’t like the fact that Luffy did this for them anymore than Sanji does. None of them do.

“You can’t stop people doing things they want to do though,” he says, and Sanji looks at him, cigarette halfway to his mouth. He shakes his head, gives Usopp a soft smile, and they walk on.

The town is quiet, but there are people there. They nod to Sanji and Usopp politely, and they meander through the shops, picking up things that have been requested and adding a few non-requested items to their bags. There’s nothing that particularly jumps out at Usopp to get for Luffy, until they pass by a children’s toy stall. There is a puzzle box there, and while Usopp has a feeling Luffy will end up breaking it before he realises the trick to opening it, it’s cheap and will entertain Luffy for a while.

Their trip is uneventful, and it’s a strange thing. Usopp almost wants to keep looking over his shoulder, convince himself that something is happening that they’re not aware of, that someone is going to attack them. No one is, though. There is no one following them, no one even who knows they’re here. They’re safe (and that’s a bizarre thought).

It makes Usopp even warier of the people who did this to Luffy. They didn’t want him for the bounty or the glory. They hurt Luffy just because they could, and it chills Usopp to the bone.

“I had a word with Chopper,” Sanji says, and Usopp shrugs his bag higher on his shoulders. “He thinks Luffy will be let out of bed soon, tomorrow at the earliest. I wanted to throw a small celebration.”

Usopp nods, already thinking of some stories he can tell. He has a perfect one that was Kaya’s favourite, a story about a giant. It’s a little paltry compared to the stories the giants of Elbaf have told him, and Usopp thinks he can shake things up a little, embellish his old story with a mix of new ones.

“Luffy will love that,” he says, and Sanji raises an eyebrow, grinning.

“I’ll need your help to keep him out of the kitchen,” he says, and Usopp salutes. He’ll be there, he promises, and the Sunny comes into view. She looks a little tired, worn out as if she knows what her captain is going through. Usopp doesn’t doubt that she is aware, and he definitely will speak to Franky about diving down and cleaning her up.

Someone throws a ladder down for them, and Usopp is surprised when it’s Chopper who is waiting for them. He smiles slightly, looking out at the horizon.

“You need some sleep,” Usopp offers, handing his bags to Sanji.

“All I do when I’m not with Luffy is sleep,” Chopper mutters, and Usopp can accept that grumble. They all get a little stir crazy if they’re in one place for too long, and Chopper is under more stress than the rest of them. “I haven’t found anything about what happened earlier, but it hasn’t happened again. Yet.”

Usopp nods, and Chopper walks to the back of the ship, enjoying the cool air.

“I’m going to let him out tomorrow,” Chopper warns. It’s still a secret, no doubt, for if Luffy had been told, he’d already be out here. The only thing keeping his back is undoubtedly the fact he’s never alone, and the fact he knows they are worried for him. Luffy has never been this well behaved before, and it’s quite impressive.

“It’ll be good for all of us,” Usopp says, and Chopper grins, worries melting from him. He almost looks his age again, worries rolling off of him as he relaxes. He’s been under a lot of stress, and Usopp is glad it’s beginning to shed. They’ve gotten through the worst problems, there won’t be too much to get through now.

“I doubt I’ll be able to get him back in,” Chopper says with a light laugh, and Usopp shakes his head.

“I’d expect nothing less from our captain,” he replies fondly, leaning on the railing. The waves reflect the weak sun, and it’s a sight Usopp will never tire of. He feels Chopper lean against him, and knows that he’s fallen asleep from the sudden calmness over them.

Usopp could move them, but he knows Chopper will wake in an instant. He feels calm outside, safe with Usopp, and so Usopp will stay. Things aren’t going to get easier when Luffy is released, but they will progress. It’s been so long since Luffy has been outside, and Usopp can’t help but smile at the thought of him barging out of the infirmary door. Luffy’s natural place is outside, on the lawn, by the railings, on Sunny’s head – anywhere but inside. They’ll begin setting things back in their right order soon, and it settles some of the worries in Usopp’s stomach.

He feels the others join him, or some of them at least. Glancing over his shoulder, Usopp sees everyone except Sanji and Luffy setting up chairs and blankets. Sanji isn’t far behind, and Luffy is asleep right now, according to Franky, so they sit together in silence, watching the ocean as they drink hot chocolate. It’s quiet, but it’s a peaceful quiet that Usopp has missed. They don’t need words, the ocean and them, and while it’s not quite perfect – Luffy’s absence is still a hole in their hearts – they’re almost there.

The ocean knows it, and they wait.


	3. Chapter 3

When he leaves the infirmary, Chopper shifted into his walking point for support at his side, Zoro finds it hard to stay in one place and simply watch Luffy shuffle on deck. He wrinkles his nose, his only objection to the cold, and then Luffy is pushing away from Chopper and leaping towards the damp grass.

Zoro smiles, relief flooding him. He catches the eyes of the others and knows they feel the relief too, that Luffy is still Luffy no matter what.

He’s never been good with enemies that can’t be defeated simply by cutting or slicing. Zoro’s always preferred something he can deal with with his own hands, something that is simple that he can understand. He’s never done well with grief, luckily not had to experience too much of it, and he’s turned his trauma into his life goal. Even Thriller Bark was for Luffy, and if his life had ended there, well that would only have been how far he’d gotten.

Maybe Luffy felt that way on the stasis island. Probably not, though. Luffy has his own whims, but if his crew are in danger he’ll do anything. Zoro’s under no illusions there was some kind of bargain to get them off that island. The only reason they’re all still alive and intact is because of Luffy and whatever deal he made with the people who hurt him.

He’s tried to bring it up, only once and only after he’d checked with Chopper if he was allowed. He doesn’t know the mind as well as Chopper, isn’t sure how much he can and can’t push, and Zoro knows he’s not the most tactful of people. He’s been called stubborn and bull-headed by many people, and there is certainly truth in those words, even if he’ll never tell Sanji that.

When he’d asked Luffy, he’d just shaken his head.

“You don’t need to know,” Luffy had said, and Zoro had grunted, folding his arms over his chest. Of course he needed to know, he’d thought, but then Thriller Bark had flashed in his mind, and Zoro thought maybe he didn’t need to know after all.

So he still doesn’t know. None of them do, but Zoro has accepted that. Chopper hasn’t, Nami hasn’t, and Zoro is sure a few others haven’t, but that’s their problem. He doesn’t need to know what lengths Luffy’s gone to, especially when he’s laughing so jovially and rolling on the ground, arms snaking towards those closest to him. Zoro grins as Luffy succeeds in pulling Nami in, dragging her to the ground with a laugh, ignoring the shriek as the damp grass hits her bare skin. It’s her own fault for forgetting her coat, Zoro thinks, and he can see the relief and humour in Nami’s eyes as she half-heartedly protests.

This is what he’s always wanted, Zoro knows. This is his family, and while nothing will stop him from achieving his goal, if it came to a choice between his goal and this family, there isn’t a choice. There isn’t a choice for any of them, for they made that decision years ago, the moment they accepted Luffy’s hand and became his crew. They were all screwed from the beginning, but none of them will ever complain.

Sanji’s started up a barbeque, or rather he started it a while ago and the meat’s going on now. It smells good, and Zoro’s stomach rumbles as Sanji bats Luffy’s hands away.

“You’ll get food poisoning,” he warns, though it’s a weak warning. Luffy’s never gotten food poisoning other than from eating actual poisoned food. Uncooked food poses no risk, but Sanji’s guarding his grill as he always does.

“Sanji!” Luffy whines, and then he’s off, walking slowly around the grass. Nami’s vanished inside, presumably to change, and Luffy’s looking for his next victim. His eyes light up as he looks at Zoro, and Zoro smirks.

“Try it,” he mutters, and Luffy’s eyes narrow, pure concentration overtaking his expression.

Zoro doesn’t bother dodging the hand that comes his way. Luffy isn’t at his full strength, and Zoro will at least pretend to put up a fight for a little bit. He’s sure he’ll end up on the grass in the end, but Luffy doesn’t make any moved to pull him down. He walks over to Zoro instead, hand snapping back into its rightful place when he’s beside him.

“I think I annoyed Nami,” he confides, as if it’s a big secret. He’s smiling as Zoro snorts, and he crosses his arms over his chest, mimicking Zoro perfectly.

“I think she’ll let you pass this one time,” Zoro says, and Luffy hums, shoulder brushing Zoro’s.

“Or she’ll add more money to my debt, I’ve heard her muttering about it.” Zoro nods; she has been muttering about it, though not seriously. “Not that I’ll ever pay her back anyway,” he adds, and Zoro really knows that feeling. Maybe one day he will, but at this rate, Nami just keeps adding more and more debt to his total. He has a feeling she never really expects the money back, despite the appearances she likes to uphold.

“I’m glad you’re safe.” Luffy’s voice is something quiet, something Zoro seldom hears. It’s almost as unsettling as seeing him still in the infirmary, and Zoro shifts uncomfortably.

“Don’t do ridiculous things by yourself again,” he returns, and Luffy nods, though his eyes are distant.

“You know I can’t promise that,” he says, and he’s got Zoro there. It’s something Zoro would refuse to promise too, and he sighs.

“Can’t blame me for trying,” he adds, and Luffy smiles, seriousness fading. He heads off, arms falling to his side as he runs to Sanji, calling for food. It’s not ready yet, and he bounces off to someone else, and Zoro has a feeling he’s going to speak to each and every one of them and tell them he’s glad they’re safe.

Slinking off quietly, ignoring the questioning gaze Robin shoots him, Zoro finds Nami in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet lid with her head in her hands. She isn’t crying, and she looks up as Zoro passes the open door.

“He got you too then,” she says simply, and Zoro nods sharply. She sighs, dropping her hands down and leaning back. Her coat is in a pile on the floor and Zoro stoops to pick it up. He feels like he has to make himself useful somehow, and he shakes it out, trying to get rid of any wrinkles. He feels like that is something most people do with their coats, after all, and remembers Perona’s troubled stare as she’d taken in whatever Zoro had thrown on any particular day. She’d never had anything nice to say about his outfits, though the comments had grown from sharp to fond in a matter of weeks.

“Luffy always knows how to go for the kill,” Nami says wryly, standing and taking her coat from Zoro. “He’s disarming each and every one of us right now, telling us he’s glad we’re okay and all that.” She brushes her hair back, tying it up and out of the way.

“I don’t think he’s ever going to admit what happened on that island,” she says quietly, and Zoro shakes his head. “It bothers me, but I have to accept it I suppose,” Nami says, and Zoro remains still.

There is a roar from outside, and Zoro knows that food is being served, finally. Nami shoots him an exasperated look, and then they’re heading outside, barely containing their laughter as they see Sanji on one leg, foot holding Luffy at bay as he plates the food up. Looking at him now, it’s almost unbelievable that Luffy has been down and out. He’s almost back to himself, if not for the slightly grey tinge to his skin and the slight dip of energy in his movements. They’ll be off back at sea soon, Zoro thinks, and that’s when it happens.

Zoro isn’t sure what he’d expected, based off of what Usopp said before. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn’t quite this.

Just as Sanji holds out a plate of meat, Luffy’s hand falls. The plate smashes on the ground, everyone silences and turns to look at Luffy, and Zoro feels horror crawl in his gut. Luffy isn’t doing anything. He’s standing there still, hands at his side and eyes blank. It’s as if his soul has left his body, and he moves, just as the others do.

Chopper gets there first, and he begins examining Luffy. He tries to rouse him, but nothing seems to work, not even waving meat in front of his face. Sanji’s look is pinched as he collects the fallen food, re-plating it, and he glances Zoro’s way, just as unnerved as he is.

And then, a moment later, Luffy rocks back into himself, eyes brightening and darting around, a complain on his lips as he realises Sanji is no longer holding his food out. He pauses, mid-rant, when he realises that everyone is looking at him, and blinks.

“What?”

Zoro was okay not knowing what had happened before, but now he thinks it’s inevitable that they need to know. Luffy has suffered something he won’t share, but it’s still taking him somewhere. Maybe he isn’t aware of what happens to him in those pauses, but it’s dangerous.

“Luffy,” Chopper says quietly, and they all pick up their own food, sitting in the chairs that form a semi-circle around the barbeque. “We need to know what happened.”

Luffy opens his mouth, but no words come out. He shakes his head, closes his mouth and sits down, cradling his plate in his lap.

“I don’t want to,” he argues, and Zoro knows that this is something Luffy isn’t going to win. He’s stubborn, but so is Chopper, and if Chopper thinks this will help his recovery, Luffy isn’t going to be able to dodge answering for much longer.

“You can tell just one of us if that makes it better,” Chopper offers patiently, and Luffy’s face scrunches up, as if he thinks that is a worse option.

“I really don’t want to,” Luffy whines, and Zoro can’t help the smile that springs to his lips. Luffy will never change, no matter the situation.

“You’re a liability,” Nami says, cutting across whatever Chopper was about to say. They all turn to look at her, and she looks furious. She’s serious this time, and while a small worry line shows itself on Chopper’s forehead, he allows her to continue.

“If you blank out like that during a fight – then what? You die, the rest of us go down, all because you couldn’t tell us what you did.” She takes in a deep breath, and Zoro know she’s barely keeping it together. “I know you don’t want to tell us what you did to protect us, but we can’t help you unless you do.”

She is gently now, and she finishes with a small smile, one that Zoro hopes inspires some confidence in Luffy. He doesn’t move, though, eyes fixed on Nami. He seems to be thinking about something, and he glances Zoro’s way before he shifts, posture changing as it’s clear he gives in.

“I still don’t want to tell you,” he begins, pouting, “but fine. I want to eat first though.”

That is acceptable, they all think, and within moments, they are back to their celebrations, laughter and stories flowing easily. Brook digs out his violin and after a handful of songs, ends up accompanying Usopp’s giant story, with tremendous impact. Zoro laughs as the drama builds, sandwiched between Franky and Sanji as Usopp and Brook stand before them.

They have drawn closer, partially for warmth but mostly for company, and Sanji makes sure his drink is constantly full, and Zoro keeps his arm around the back of his chair. Their trio is unbalanced more than the entire crew, and while Zoro and Sanji haven’t specifically spoken about it, even on their hunting trips, they’re both feeling Luffy’s absence. They rely upon each other’s strength, and Zoro needs Sanji to know he’s still as strong as ever, and vice versa.

The story draws to its climax, and Franky is bawling already. The alcohol he’s been drinking has left Zoro slightly lightheaded, a pleasant feeling, and he knows it’s more to do with the atmosphere than whatever he’s been drinking. He can hear Luffy laughing, Chopper too, and Usopp finishes his grand tale to gentle violin, the perfect end for a perfect story.

Usopp bows as they clap, putting on airs as he begins talking up his imaginary story telling business. Brook nods along dutifully, stating that they’re here just for one night only, and the simple humour is heart-warming.

They draw to silence, enjoying the sound of the coals popping on the barbeque. Sanji had used the fire pit-type barbeque, and now it’s merrily spitting out heat, though not enough that they can justify separating. They need the warmth from each other, even if they don’t need it physically. Zoro’s sure he’s not the only one who isn’t bothered about the cold.

“I ended up in a trap,” Luffy announces suddenly, and the sleepy peace that had enveloped them disappears. There’s static in the air, a suggestion to do something, and Zoro keeps his arm on the back of Sanji’s chair lest he go for his swords. His other hand does stray to his hip, and though his swords aren’t there – they’re in the kitchen, easily within reach, but safe from the weather and Zoro’s need to try and fix this with them – he feels their ghost, where they would be if he had given in to impulse.

He can’t fix this with his swords, no more than Sanji can with his feet, and he can feel Sanji shifting, preparing to spring up. He sighs, pats his pockets for a cigarette, and glances at Zoro, a silent question whether he minds. Zoro shakes his head.

“By the time they got me, they’d already got you,” Luffy says, and Sanji blows smoke away from them. On his other side, Franky leans forward, handkerchief clutched in his hand, just in case. Zoro nods approvingly, turning back to Luffy’s story.

“They gave me a choice of you or me. Obviously you know my choice,” Luffy says, oddly brightly for his situation. Zoro supposes that’s Luffy all over, but all it does is cause him to tense, and he can feel both Sanji and Franky reacting the same. He doesn’t doubt the others feel that way too, for whatever is going to come will be terrible.

“It wasn’t that bad at first, I’ve been through worse things before.” Luffy licks his lips, reaching for some of the leftovers. The fact he can eat while he’s telling this story is important, and Zoro thinks it’s yet another step towards recovery.

“They tried to convince me that you would never find me,” Luffy admits, and none of them need to know how. All that matters is that someone tried to take Luffy from them, tried to convince Luffy they would never return to him, and that is enough to make his blood boil.

Almost in unison, Zoro and Sanji rise. Zoro isn’t surprised; they’re used to working as a pair. They look at each other, and Zoro is sure his expression matches Sanji’s thunderous one, and he wishes they’d taken the time to deal some damage in return on stasis island.

“Don’t,” Luffy says firmly, looking at them. He is serious, Zoro can see, and there’s no way he would have admitted this much unless he had to. “I didn’t tell you so you could go and get revenge.”

Sometimes, there are things that revenge isn’t worth. This is such a time, but it’s hard to accept. Zoro has never been one to sit silently, not when there is a fight he should be participating in, but he’ll never disobey his captain. He trusts Luffy’s judgement, and if he says that they’re not going back, that’s his order.

It doesn’t mean he has to be fully comfortable with it, though, and Zoro lets out a heavy breath. Sanji is mirroring him almost perfectly, though he does speak up.

“They deserve it, after what they did. Bastards,” he spits, and Luffy sits back in his chair, fond look on his face.

“I know,” he admits, and Zoro can see him clench his fists. “But I don’t want any of you near them. Sure we could destroy them, but they’re not worth it.”

It’s not about power, Zoro realises. The people who did this to Luffy are nothing in comparison, but they are hardly honourable. They trapped Luffy, forced him into a corner, and that’s the only way they won. The only way out was a sacrifice, one they held against Luffy until he had to have been on his last hope. That kind of thing wore at a person, ground them down in sadness, and Zoro wasn’t surprised Luffy never wanted to return there.

If they return, there’s every chance they’ll get hurt again, and Luffy cannot bear that. It’s an enemy that can’t be fought, not properly, for it’s fear itself.

They deflate, but they don’t sit down. Zoro needs to do something, and he excuses himself, heading to lift weights in the lookout room. Sanji head to the kitchen, and he watches from above as the others keep Luffy company, though none of them look as comfortable as they had been before.

They’d all known that Luffy’s condition was linked to their safety. Of course they had, but hearing it is a different thing entirely. Zoro sighs, considers adding more weight, but shakes his head and sets the barbell down instead. He doesn’t want to be up here lifting. He wants to be down there with Luffy, celebrating his return, but he can’t. Not yet.

Robin is the one who comes and finds him. She fixes him with a stare, raises an eyebrow when she sees all his gym equipment neatly tidied, and stands by the trapdoor.

“You’re angry,” she comments, and Zoro resists the urge to roll his eye. “Sanji’s come back out now. He’s brought out more drinks, if you were interested.”

Zoro isn’t, and he says as much. He doesn’t have anything as a peace offering like Sanji does, and while Luffy doesn’t care about that, Zoro feels as if he has to do something. He’s not good at standing and waiting.

“Luffy says he’d like you and Sanji to take him hunting when Chopper gives the all clear,” Robin says, still hovering by the door. “He knows we’re all upset with his decision, and he doesn’t blame you for needing to be up here.”

The problem with living with a family like this one is that they all know each other so well. A tiny part of Zoro wants to have an argument and storm off, to have a reason to go and attack something – preferably a certain someone – but they all know him so well that he can’t even disguise his worry as something it isn’t.

“Okay” Zoro acquiesces. “I’ll come back down.”

Luffy smiles brightly when Zoro returns, and Zoro takes the seat beside him. It was Chopper’s before, but Chopper is busy chasing after Franky, laughing as Usopp provides commentary on their game. Nami’s playing too, as is Sanji, and it looks as if Sanji and Chopper’s team is winning. Zoro watches for a moment, and he’s still as clueless as he was from the start about what they’re actually doing. He supposes the dark really doesn’t help, and he thinks that is what Nami and Franky are finding hard to deal with. Until the nipple lights come on, and Franky gives a triumphant yell as he practically blinds the opposition.

“I want to go hunting with you and Sanji,” Luffy says, and when Zoro nods, everything is back to normal. “It’s not fair you two have had all the fun.”

Zoro grins, launching into a tale of the animals there. Luffy’s heard it all before, but Zoro tells him of what he thinks is the boss animal, and how Luffy will love fighting it. He laughs along and, at some point, the rest of them join them, listening to Zoro as he describes some of the creatures. Sanji interjects every now and then, mostly with a snort of faux-disdain, and Zoro can’t help but feel he has his balance back.

Luffy is shuffled off to bed soon, Chopper practically chasing him away, though it does take three attempts to keep him inside. The rest of them mill around for a short while, though their numbers dwindle soon. It ends with him and Sanji in the kitchen, silence seeping into their bones as they try and think about what they could possibly say.

“I’m not good with not doing anything,” Sanji begins, and that’s an understatement if he ever did hear one, Zoro thinks. He says as much a moment later, and Sanji gives a huff of laughter, setting down a bottle of alcohol that is so old the label has peeled off. It smells fruity, not something Zoro would usually go for, and he sips at the glass Sanji gives him, pleasantly surprised. It relaxes him a little, and Zoro looks towards the door.

“I know I can’t do everything,” he says, and Sanji nods, listening intently. “And I know Luffy would never let us do anything, but I still…” Zoro trails off, meeting Sanji’s eyes.

“The others do too. What we have to focus on is how we get over it, as well as helping Luffy get over it.” Sanji smiles, though it’s a humourless curve of his lips. “Nothing hard.”

Zoro nods, taking another sip of his drink.

“I know it was his choice, and I know there was nothing we could have done,” Zoro begins, but he doesn’t make to finish his sentence. Sanji knows the answer well, as do the others. If could be any of them here with him, if not Sanji, and the conversation would be the same. They all feel the same, no matter their strength within the crew.

“So what do we do now,” Sanji comments, and that’s the real question here. Zoro doesn’t know. He hopes Chopper does, for they’re lost without his guidance. What he would have said is carry on how they have been, but will that actually help Luffy?

“Take him hunting I suppose,” Zoro says, though the idea sits sourly with him. Maybe in a few days, after they’ve spent more time with Luffy. They’ve all missed him, and the idea of Luffy stepping off of the Sunny right now is an uncomfortable one, though not for the reasons Zoro expected.

He expected to be worried for Luffy’s safety, that someone might still be looking to get him back to stasis island, but that isn’t what he’s worried about. No, Zoro is worried that, if Luffy leaves, they’ll just continue on, leaving the healing until later. Such a thing would be devastating, they need to heal before they move, and Zoro realises he isn’t happy himself.

“Just getting it are you, mosshead?” Sanji comments, and Zoro looks up, frowning. “I mean are you just realising that you need to recover? That it’s not just Luffy who was hurt by his attack?”

Zoro almost wants to laugh at himself. That’s it exactly, and while he’s always known he’s a bit of a blockhead (again, he’s not going to admit it to anyone, least of all Sanji), things have finally clicked. It makes so much sense now, he thinks, and he nods slowly.

“We all got there slowly,” Sanji says, unexpectedly kindly. “I think we’re all finally coming through the shock of it and realising those people hurt us by hurting Luffy.”

Nodding, Zoro takes another sip of his drink. He leans an elbow on the table, and usually such a gesture would have Sanji snapping at him. This time, Sanji just looks at his arm and sips his own drink, ignoring him.

Now that he knows, now that he’s finally understood, Zoro thinks that recovery might be easier now. It isn’t something he can do in leaps, but has to take in small steps, With the rest of the crew, and for Luffy, he knows he can do that, and he throws back the last of the drink, enjoying the look of contempt Sanji shows him for disrespecting the drink so.

“Shut it, shit cook,” he grumbles, smiling as Sanji tilts, bumping into him as he passes.

He’s getting there; they all are.

 

.

Franky can’t quite wrap his head around the entire situation, if he’s honest. He pauses in front of the bathroom mirror, frowning at his reflection, and tries his hair in its classic style. It works, just, and he heads out to the main deck, thoughts still full, trying to understand and process.

It's just that he can’t quite equate the Luffy he had brought onto the ship at stasis island with the Luffy he knew before, nor the Luffy he can see now, on his fifth day of being allowed out and eagerly exploring the rocks around the breakwater with Usopp and Chopper. They’re supposed to be collecting things for dinner, but Sanji isn’t watching them and barking orders, as he usually would. He isn’t even with them, and that is proof in itself that Sanji doesn’t particularly need them to get back to him anytime soon, and the food search is probably a cover so Luffy gets to actually get off of the ship for a while.

Still, Franky can remember the lifeless body he’d carried out of the tunnel. He remembers thinking that Luffy was dead, that the end was right before his eyes. He remembers the relief when Luffy had taken in a shaky breath, and the journey from there to the ship is a complete blur.

It’s almost as if it never happened, looking at Luffy now. Aside from one or two more blank episodes, he’s exactly the same. Franky tilts his head as he watches Luffy dangle a crab from his finger, and the others laugh.

“It’s quite remarkable,” Brook comments at his side, sipping tea and peering down at the trio. “We all know Luffy-san’s tenacity and ability to bounce back, but it’s always something else to see it.”

Franky nods, grinning.

“Our captain’s pretty amazing,” he says, and no one could disagree with that.

It’s breakfast time, and Sanji calls them all up a little later. Luffy is there in a moment, catapulting himself up from the side of the ship. He looks as if he’s almost about to dive over the Sunny, so Franky reaches up an arm, and Luffy curls his hand around metal.

“Thanks!” he says, laughing as Franky sets him down. Luffy is looking at him firmly, a gaze that Franky holds for a moment, and then Luffy’s off again, tracking down his portion.

Not that there had been any doubt before, but there is certainly no doubt in Franky’s mind that Luffy will become the pirate king. He’s seen him recover from fights before, but nothing near as frightening as the condition he’d been in at the tunnel. Perhaps he’d been worse after the Summit War at Marineford, but none of them had been there to see it.

This, though, is something Franky hasn’t seen before. He’s seen quick recoveries and slow ones, but not recoveries where someone can take all that pain and suffering for someone else, and come out just the same on the other side. He’s seen plenty of people change after thinking they can protect someone, and while he’s not surprised Luffy is unchanged, it is still a shock.

Franky knows he has little faith in people that don’t matter. Deep down that is, for the important stuff. He’ll trust people on the surface, and he tends to get locked in with their personal stories, but for the important things, for the times when he’ll fight with his life on the line, the people that matter are only a handful aside from this ship.

He’s happy Luffy is recovering, but he’s amazed that all that lingers in Luffy is love for them. Franky has only experienced this once before, and Tom had died. He doesn’t ever want Luffy to die, though he does admit that that is a little unrealistic.

Usopp joins him on the outskirts of the group, asking about cleaning the bottom of the Sunny. That’s something Franky can launch into, and he agrees they can start after breakfast. He’s already made the levers that can attach to the side and walk them down – an improvement upon past designs – and Usopp’s been helping him with the warming wetsuits. The water is freezing, Franky made the mistake of going swimming a few days ago, and he’d returned to shore with the metal of his body iced over. Not a good plan.

They start slow, suiting up as Luffy walks around their periphery. He’s training with Chopper, stretching his muscles and running through some exercises with both Sanji and Zoro, despite protests that he’s fine. Chopper just scoffs and carries on, as if Luffy had never spoken. He is taking an interest in what they’re doing, Franky can tell, and he shoots Usopp a smile.

“We’ll work on the top first then,” he comments, and Usopp nods dutifully, keeping his hood down and leaving the breathing tubes on deck. They’ll start probably only waist-deep, at least until Luffy has exhausted his interest in them.

They’ve cleared a decent patch when Luffy’s head pops over the side of the boat.

“What are you doing?” he asks, beaming down at them. He glances over his shoulder, then he’s swinging himself over the side of the boat, jumping onto the rocks behind Usopp and Franky, just out of reach of the boat. He towers above even Franky now, and continues to grin as they scrape barnacles and limpets from the underside of the Sunny.

“Housekeeping,” Franky comments cheerfully. It’s satisfying work, and gives him a chance to check how the Adam wood is doing. He knows it’ll weather far worse than a few barnacles and cold water, but it’s always a relief to see it doing well.

“Can we put some in the aquarium?” Luffy asks, and Franky considers for a moment. He honestly has no idea. That’s more Sanji and Robin’s area, or even Usopp’s, and he turns to Usopp.

“We put some in ages ago and you got bored of them,” Usopp states plainly, and Luffy pouts.

“But they’re not these ones,” he argues, and Franky gets back to scraping as a light hearted argument erupts around him. It’s just like normal, and Franky tries not to think about the way Luffy had felt in his arms.

It doesn’t work, not entirely. He pushes it to the back of his mind for a long while, but it isn’t something Franky can forget easily. He knows Luffy is safe now, recovering, but he remembers.

They pause cleaning the Sunny at lunch, and decide to take their food to the pier, walking across the rocks and the breakwater, down nearer to the town. It’s a nice area, and Luffy follows them. The rest leave them to it, waving them off. They’ll still be within sight, so maybe they can have an elaborate sign conversation, but the world narrows down to the three of them; Usopp, Luffy, and Franky.

“We’ve made good progress,” Usopp says around onigiri, and Luffy nods, as if he’s the one who’s been spearheading the scraping. He probably would have given it a go if not for his devil fruit, Franky reasons, and he returns the smile Luffy gives him.

“She’ll be looking brand new before you know it,” Franky adds, and Luffy nods, grabbing a fistful of onigiri and stuffing them in his mouth. He barely chews them before swallowing, and Franky grimaces slightly. He takes a sip of his cola, unsurprised when Luffy chokes, spluttering bits of rice all over and grinning apologetically.

“You’re pretty gross aren’t you,” Usopp comments, wiping rice grains from his cheek. There’s no malice in his words, and Luffy sees it as a challenge. He licks the palm of his hand and moves it towards Usopp, and soon the two of them are running circles around Franky.

Perhaps age dictates he should stop them, but he has no inclination to. It’s pretty hilarious, for one, and Franky is one step away from joining them, truth be told. He doesn’t get the chance, though, for Luffy flops down next to him, torso lolling across Franky’s legs. He’s laughing, but when he opens his eyes, he is serious, and Franky thinks it’s a message.

“Thanks,” he says, and Usopp glances over. He busies himself with tidying up their picnic and starting back slowly, and Franky thanks him silently. This will be hard enough to get over without Usopp there too. Franky doesn’t want him, or the others, to know what it was like to hold Luffy back then.

“You had me really worried,” Franky says, and Luffy nods. “All of us.”

“I know,” Luffy replies, sitting up. He reshuffles until he’s by Franky’s side. “But I’d rather you were worried about me than the alternative.”

Sometimes Franky forgets just how powerful and smart Luffy can be. Sure he doesn’t have the intelligence to think up cunning plans or the patience to be anywhere near an acceptable scholar, but he is smart, despite what a lot of people cast him as. He knows what his friends need, what his family need. He knows what battles he can cruise through, and what ones he needs to strategise. He knows what he needs to hand off to his support, and Franky trusts that he made the right decision back on the stasis island.

It doesn’t have to mean he likes it, but it is what it is.

“Of course,” Franky says, and he’s not going to cry, not this time. He smiles, stands up, and Luffy follows suit. They join Usopp, Luffy slings an arm around each of them, and then they’re back to scraping off the Sunny as Luffy runs around the deck, building up strength and getting ready for the hunting tip Chopper has finally allowed to happen tomorrow.

He is better, Franky feels, and he can let go of the hidden panic and worry now. He doesn’t have to think of Luffy lying lifeless in his arms, and can instead focus on the Luffy that is determined to cause trouble, the one who is walking away whistling from the mess he’s made, where he’s scattered a handful of Nami’s scrap papers. She won’t be that angry, but she’ll make a show of it, and if Luffy thinks he can get away with it then Franky’s not going to dob him in.

It doesn’t work, and Franky laughs with Usopp as they walk back down the side of the Sunny. Some things never change, and just because Luffy has made a sacrifice for them doesn’t mean that he has changed.

He’s too stubborn to change, Franky knows, and that’s one of the many reasons they all love him.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Lighting a cigarette, Sanji rolls his eyes.

“Come on marimo, were you taking a dump or something?” Sanji looks at Zoro and shakes his head. He knows Zoro wasn’t anywhere near the bathroom, but that doesn’t matter. It’s fun to rile him up, and Luffy seems to appreciate it.

It’s finally time that they take Luffy to the hunting grounds, and Sanji’s only just managed to get him to get him to wait for Zoro. Who seems determined to take a ridiculously long amount of time getting to them, so much so that Sanji is ready to start fighting if he takes any longer to join them on the rocks.

“Shut it,” Zoro retorts, and he finally, _finally_ , jumps down from the ship, surly look in place and all three swords accounted for. “Come on then,” he says to Luffy, much happier than he was to Sanji.

Any other time and Sanji would have picked him up on it, seen it as a measure to antagonise him, but it’s just how they are now. The fact that Zoro nods to him once Luffy’s running up ahead settles any questions Sanji might have had lingering, and they head up to the shore in comfortable peace, watching Luffy. They have strict instructions from Chopper to stop if Luffy looks like he can’t cope, and while Sanji doubt they will follow through (even if Luffy does look like he’s overloaded), they make good on the watching part of the promise at least.

“This island is pretty cool,” Luffy says, as he waits for them to catch up. He’s kicking the slushy snow around, not caring at all he’s still in flip-flops. They’d tried to get him in other shoes, but he’d point blank refused.

“It’s pretty boring,” Sanji comments, and Zoro nods, They’d traversed the entire island while Luffy was unconscious, and the only interesting thing had been the hunting grounds, a dense woodland that was full of animals. There were very few predators on the island, according to the people, and they hunted in the woods in order to keep the population stable of many species. It was, according to them, a win-win situation.

Sanji didn’t care: the animals were good for food, and that was what mattered.

“There better be cool animals. Zoro was telling me about the boss antelope or something,” Luffy says eagerly, and Sanji rolls his eyes. He isn’t sure if it was Luffy or Zoro who got it wrong, but there definitely wasn’t a boss antelope. A boss elk on the other hand, yes, but it lived nowhere near the hunting wood, so they were unlikely to see it. Though, Sanji amended in his head, it was likely that Luffy would wander off just to find a colossal elk, and this was probably what Chopper really meant when he instructed them to keep a close eye on Luffy.

“Whatever you take down first will be dinner tonight,” Sanji comments as they head into the path that takes them to the village. They need to stop there first, let them know they’re heading to hunt, pay their fee (Nami hadn’t been particularly happy when she’d seen how much it was, but the amount of food they’d brought back had softened the blow somewhat), and only then could they go and hunt.

They were greeted warmly, the villagers happy to see such fine hunters again, as they put it. They looked curiously at Luffy, no doubt recognising his straw hat. They’d played dumb at recognising the rest of them, though Zoro had been a close call as one child had gaped in admiration, but the straw hat cannot be denied. They glance uneasily at Zoro and Sanji, and the woman in charge of letting them hunt rolls her eyes. She’s the one they gave a few of their kills from last time to, and she claps Luffy’s shoulder wishing him luck as she accepts their money.

The hunting grounds are a short walk from the town, and while most hunters would be quiet, Sanji is sure the entire village can hear Luffy singing. There are no animals around for a long while, and everything is just how he’d pictured it.

“Incoming,” Zoro mutters, just as Sanji leaps out of the way of a charging bull. It’s angry, too reckless, and Luffy grins, fighting intent flooding the small clearing they’re in.

It’s perhaps an unfair fight, and is over in one blow, but Luffy nods to himself, patting the huge horns of the downed bull. It’ll make a good meal, Sanji thinks, and he offers to take it back to the village, as he and Zoro did before.

They pause for lunch a few hours later, Sanji passing around the food. They’re all a little sweaty, having lost their coats to the village a while back. It’s hard work, hunting and hauling their food back, but it’s well worth the effort. Sanji already has a lot of meat drying, and he thinks he’ll be able to freeze a lot from this batch. They won’t go hungry for a long time, and that means so much on the seas they’re heading to. He’s heard about Luffy’s disastrous attempts at cooking after Zō, and he’ll never put his crew through that torture ever again.

“We should head back soon, maybe in an hour or so,” Sanji says, and while he’d rather stay out here in the wild for a bit longer, Chopper will be grinding his teeth if they’re late, and he has food to put away before it ends up ruined.

“Yeah,” Luffy says, and Sanji can tell he’s tired. His stamina has dropped dramatically, and while Sanji is sure it’ll be up to normal in no time, they don’t want to push it too far. “This is fun though.”

It’s when he’s facing what they’ve decided is the last kill for the day that things turn a little sour. Zoro is commenting on Luffy’s technique, saying that he’s surprised Luffy’s going for a punch and not some twisted kick he was bragging merrily about just five minutes ago, when Luffy stops, dead in the elk’s path. Sanji’s eyes widen as the stag dips its head, ready to spear Luffy (and who knows if it has the strength, but they can’t risk it), and Zoro unsheathes a sword, ready to leap in.

It’s just like the other times, except something happens before they can get to Luffy. It’s a small shift, but they can feel Luffy come back to himself, claw back with a fight, and his haki erupts, the elk falling at his feet.

He doesn’t move for a long moment, and Sanji just watches the way Luffy’s shoulders rise and fall dramatically, as if he’s had the fight of his life. Perhaps he has, Sanji thinks, and it’s a long moment before Luffy turns to face them.

“Luffy,” Sanji breathes, looking at the stern expression on Luffy’s face. It’s not one he sees directed at himself often, and it unsettles him to see it on Luffy’s face now. He doesn’t look happy, and Sanji wants to know why.

“I am over it,” Luffy says, to himself more than them. He looks like he’s still struggling to control himself, and Sanji shoots a look towards Zoro. Neither of them know what this means, and it’s hard to watch and do nothing. “It’s not going to bother me anymore, I’ve decided.”

Sanji can’t help a smile. Once Luffy decides something, it’s pretty much set in stone. It’ll probably be a medical miracle to Chopper, but without his careful attention and care as Luffy’s doctor, Luffy would never have been strong enough to decide that he’d had enough of whatever influence was still hanging over him.

“I’m not going to let then drag me in anymore,” Luffy says, this time to Zoro and Sanji. They both nod, and Luffy breaks into a grin, his expression softening. Whatever battle he’s been fighting, he seems to be triumphant. Sanji doubts that will be the end of the blank moments, but this is a turning point to the final recovery. Luffy has decided, and once he’s decided, then that’s it really.

“Let’s go tell Chopper,” Luffy says merrily, and that’s that. They’re heading back to the village, picking out the meat they want to take back and the stuff they’ll give to the village people, and then they’re back near the Sunny, Luffy shouting out to the crew as best he can when laden down with food. Nami and Usopp are at the side instantly, waving back.

They haul the food over, and Sanji sets his butchering tarpaulin out in the kitchen, kicking the blood gutters he’d asked Franky to install in the ground open. They’ll collect the blood below and he’ll be able to use it in a number of things – waste nothing, that’s Sanji’s life, and he has a number of big eaters. He can’t afford to waste anything.

He’s halfway through the second deer when Chopper enters, wrinkling his nose.

“Luffy told me what happened,” he says, and Sanji pauses, wiping his brow with the back of one wrist. He doesn’t stop preparing the food, knowing he has a limited window before Luffy bursts in and demands some of the meat. It’s endearing, really, but Sanji has a lot of meat to store.

“He snapped out of it quickly,” Sanji confirms, and Chopper looks thoughtful. “Has he said anything about it?”

Chopper tilts his head to the side, mouth drawn down.

“Not too much. Just that he thinks the people who had him keep trying to draw him back, and he’s resisting well.” Chopper runs a hoof over his cheek, shaking his head slowly. “I can’t fix that, but Luffy says that I’ve done enough already. I’m not sure I have,” Chopper admits quietly, and Sanji wishes he had clean hands to pet Chopper’s head and reassure him.

“Ah,” Chopper says, cheeks flushing as he ducks his head. “I didn’t mean to come in and complain. I know I’ve done the best I can- I just wish I could do more.”

Sanji nods at that, agreeing wholeheartedly.

“I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything Luffy missed out.” He smiles up at Sanji, and heads back towards the door, already in another world, full of notes and treatments. Sanji leaves him to it, returning to his task.

Amazingly, Luffy doesn’t enter the kitchen until Sanji is done and a stew is cooking. It’s something simple with some of the tougher meat that he wants to get rid of, and Luffy sneaks in. Or would have snuck in if not for the fact he’s dragged Nami with him.

“Seriously Luffy,” Nami sighs, and Sanji can see her crossing her arms over her chest even with his back turned to the door. “Sanji’s not going to give you food early because I’m here.”

“She’s right,” Sanji says, though his hands itch to open the fridge. In moments, he has leftovers plated up for Luffy and a small orange tart for Nami, drinks on the way. They both smile, knowing full well that Sanji is a very soft touch, and Luffy pumps his fist in excitement.

“Thanks Sanji!” he says around a mouthful of meat. “You’re the best!”

“You’re just saying that because I feed you,” Sanji says warmly, setting their drinks down and preparing light snacks for everyone else. It’ll be a while before the stew is ready, after all.

Nami unfolds a newspaper that had been on the counter for a few days. She’s skimmed it a few times already, but she seems taken with some of the articles, and Sanji shares a look with Luffy.

“Papers are boring,” Luffy says quietly, though Nami clears her throat, letting them both know she’s heard them. Luffy shrugs, smiles, and devours the rest of the food on his plate.

Sanji is familiar with sacrifice. He’s more familiar than he’s comfortable with, if he’s honest, but that’s the way the world goes. He learnt a long time ago that he cannot change someone’s mind if they’re set on something, and he’d never dare try to change Luffy’s, even if he wants to for many things. It’s what he respects the most about Luffy, the love he has for his people, and he smiles fondly as Luffy walks over to the fridge, staring at the combination lock.

“Sanji,” Luffy begins, and Sanji cuts him off, knowing what is coming.

“Nope, you’ve had your lot,” he says sternly, and Luffy shrugs, patting the lock lovingly.

“Not even a little bit?” he tries, and Sanji has to give him credit. He has perseverance, that’s for sure. “A tiny, little, insignificant bit?”

“No,” Sanji retorts, and Luffy sighs, looking miserable for all of three seconds.

“Fine. I’m going to bother Usopp then, I know he has a secret stash of stuff,” Luffy crows happily, and Sanji isn’t even going to touch that one. If Usopp really does have a secret stash somewhere, Sanji wants to know where he got it, where it is, and why it’s not in the kitchen. Nothing is protected from Luffy if it’s outside the kitchen, and Usopp is a fool if he thinks he can keep Luffy from his stash forever.

“There is a small article on us,” Nami comments from the table, and Sanji looks at her sharply. “I noticed it when I first read the paper, but I wanted to see if anything would come of it first.”

“And has it?” Sanji asks, knowing if they were in real danger, Nami would have alerted them the moment she’d seen the words.

“It doesn’t look like it. None of the other papers have mentioned anything, and this is more of a passing curiosity. It’s one of those letters people write in, and the marines have taken it upon themselves to wonder if we’re done for.” Nami slides the paper over, and Sanji can see the article, circled in red ink. Robin’s known about this too then, and probably Brook. Sanji can’t recall anyone else who has been reading the paper, and he scans the words.

It’s a poorly written letter. It wonders whether the marines have finally subdued troublesome crews such as theirs, and the reply make Sanji roll his eyes. The marines have seized the opportunity to suggest they’ve fought with a number of notorious pirate crews, and heavily suggest that they’ve put rest to a number of them. It’s ridiculous, most sensible people will see that, but it means the marines have gotten cocky.

“Luffy won’t like this,” Sanji says, and Nami smiles.

“Not one bit,” she agrees, and they both know a ridiculous adventure is in sight for them next. Whatever it will be, it’ll be just as insane as the previous ones, whether Luffy is back in peak condition or not. They have to prove the marines wrong, and it’s remarkable how complacent they are just because their ship has been hiding for a couple of weeks.

“What do you think the next adventure will hold,” Nami says, leaning forward. In any other conversation, Sanji might have let his eyes wander to her cleavage, the way she’s pushing her breasts together, but Nami’s body is almost the last thing on his mind as they discuss the ridiculous things they might come up against.

Not all of them are ridiculous, of course, and there are some scars that are still healing for them all, but whatever Luffy leads them onto will be fun, Sanji claims. Nami shoots him a doubtful look, and she’s opening the kitchen door, calling everyone else in to join the discussion.

This is what his kitchen should always be like, Sanji thinks fondly, listening as Usopp informs them that he’d like a very calm adventure next, maybe somewhere where inanimate objects don’t come to life and try to kill them. This is the centre of their ship right now, and it’s where they all return to. It’s where Sanji can check up on them, for he does that as much as Chopper does.

“Something with lots of spikes,” Sanji adds in. “Something dangerous but cheesy. I feel we deserve a ridiculous opponent to come up against, we haven’t had one in a while.”

Laughter ripples around the table, and Foxy with his Davy Back fights is drawn into the conversation. The power of the afro is contested, and a heated debate rings out between the men and the women. Apparently Robin, who has some aspersions about the afro power, thinks the particular wig they use is a crime against nature, while Nami simply states that they have no idea how many gross heads that thing was on before they picked it up.

She has a point, Sanji thinks, and maybe he’ll burn the current afro wig they have and replace it without anyone’s knowledge. There might be lice and allsorts in there. He shudders, turning to tend to his stew, and then he’s drawn up into conversation once again.

It’s warm, this kitchen of theirs, and Sanji is glad they’re getting through this together.

**.**

They set sail on a sunny day, the wind at their back. Nami is before Franky at the wheel, the pair guiding the Sunny onwards. Robin tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear, watching as Luffy clambers towards Sunny’s head, taking up his favourite seat. She smiles, leaning against the railing.

The ocean is welcoming them, and Robin is content to sit back and watch. She lets the breeze roll over her skin, and it’s soothing, a welcome home. Once it had sent shivers down her spine, but she’d fought and fought for her right to remain in this world, and she’d won.

Robin won’t let anything take that from her. Not the marines, not other pirates, and especially not a group of renegade marines.

There’s a sudden shout, and Robin looks up as Usopp and Chopper run to the front of the ship. They flank Luffy, staring down at the ocean, and Robin crosses her arms over her chest, feeling the stir of her power as she grows eyes on the front of the ship. There are dolphins, she sees, and for once Robin isn’t content with seeing with grown eyes.

She doesn’t run, but her pace can’t be described as a walk. Robin falls against the railings, bumping into Usopp and Zoro, who has come to join them with everyone but Franky, who is stern at the wheel. He shouts he’ll be there soon, and Robin has no doubt he’s simple securing them in a reliable current, and will be with them shortly.

The dolphins are just dolphins at the end of the day, but there has to be at least twenty breaching the waves. They call, flanking the Sunny as if she is their matriarch, and Luffy calls back, waving his arms.

Sometimes Robin wishes she could go in the sea. She can’t remember what it feels like, aside from cold and draining. Watching the dolphins, and the others when they are swimming, she wonders what the sea is like. She’s been in freshwater pools and baths before, but that’s not the same as the endless pull of the ocean. She wonders if Luffy feels the same, or the others for that matter, though she can’t say it’s a feeling she misses, if she’s never known it.

“What kind of dolphins are they?” Luffy shouts, and Robin doesn’t have to glance his way to know his question is directed at her. She lists off the species name, and Luffy is fascinated, watching them jump.

The dolphins break away eventually, but the crew stays behind Luffy. They have things they should be doing, but the Sunny is on a good course, sailing fast and strong. They are allowed to enjoy this moment, after everything they’ve been through.

Luffy is the first to move. He spins around to face them, hair so long now that it’s brushing in his eyes. He needs it cut, and Robin makes a note to get started on everyone soon. They’re hopeless without her, something she’s never thought she’d find in other people.

“We’re sailing!” Luffy shouts, and it’s a ridiculous statement, because of course they are. There’s something in his eyes though, something calming and wild at the same time, and no one calls him out on the obvious.

Luffy’s arms reach out to snare them all, pulling them close. It’s rare he does this, rare they get the time, and they huddle a little uncomfortably for a moment, shuffling arms and bodies as Luffy hugs them tighter.

They make an odd bunch, and Robin wonders what outsiders think of them. She doesn’t care, but she likes knowing things, even if she’ll never possess all the knowledge in the world. It’s enough for this crew though, and she savours their close contact, warm and content when Luffy finally lets them go.

They break away after that, returning to their personal duties. They’re back to normal now, no one loitering around the infirmary as if their footsteps will break Luffy, and it almost feels like the past weeks never happened. They did, though, and none of them will ever forget it.

Taking tea under the shade of Nami’s trees, Robin spends the afternoon reading. It’s a book that she wrote, stitched together and bound with Nami’s help recently, of the language of the poneglyphs. It’s not like she gets to see one every day, and Robin is terrified she’ll forget the words. It’s probably impossible, this language is burned into her blood after all, but she’ll never take such a risk.

She hears Luffy stomping up the stairs and, sure enough, a moment later, his beaming face comes into view. He sits in the chair beside her, legs swinging, and she pushes a plate of biscuits across the table. Sanji always piles up enough for Luffy emergencies anyway, so it’s not like she’ll be biscuit-less.

“They’re like the poneglyphs,” Luffy comments, brushing crumbs off of his thighs. Robin closes the book, nodding and setting it gently on the table.

“It’s a basic language book for reading the poneglyphs. I am one of the very last who are able to read them.” Robin watches as Luffy’s fingers touch the book delicately, as if he’s afraid he will break it. “You can look at it if you like. I don’t think I’d be able to teach you, however.”

“I don’t have the patience,” Luffy comments, shooting Robin a grin. He’s right, but he still flips through the book, incomprehensible symbols staring out at him from the pages.

“It’s pretty,” he says, and Robin lets out a soft laugh. It is pretty, she can admit now, though it’s taken her a long time not to see an island burning when she thinks of her heritage.

“Even if you weren’t the only one left who could read them,” Luffy says, and Robin’s smile freezes, “even if everyone knew the language, I’d have picked you.”

He sets the book down, looking at her in earnest, as if he’s still wondering if Robin feels like she belongs.

“I don’t think I would have given you much choice in the matter,” Robin says gently, remembering stealing away on the Merry, scared and hurting, but holding out her last hope. She’d thought Crocodile had it all, her way to safety, but he was just a stepping stone.

“True,” Luffy says, laughing. “You should wear your white hat again, it was super cool.”

She smiles, leaning forwards.

“And I’ve have picked you no matter what,” she returns. There is a pause in Luffy’s movements, but it eases, and he’s smiling easily again.

“I’m glad,” he says quietly, looking away. “All of you – after…”

Robin doesn’t say anything. Whatever Luffy needs to say, he can do it in his own time. She doesn’t need to – doesn’t want to – push.

“After Ace died,” Luffy says, the words thick, and Robin has to ignore the thick curl of horror and sadness in her stomach thinking of how they weren’t there when Luffy needed them. “After he died, I knew I still had you guys. And I knew I’d do anything, _anything_.”

Luffy breaks off, sighing. It’s a moment, and Robin lets him have it, and then he’s re-energised, looking at her with sparkling eyes.

“I thought I’d be able to do anything before, like at Enies Lobby, but I didn’t know. I know now,” Luffy says, and he pats the book, bounding off and calling to Sanji for food.

Robin isn’t sure what to make of the conversation. It’s not a novel feeling, in fact she feels this way after a large proportion of conversations with Luffy. He always seems to throw curve balls out, and she can never fully dodge them. Not that Robin would want to, but she doesn’t think she’ll ever stop trying to guess what’s on Luffy’s mind – other than food that is.

It’s strange, Nami comments later, in their bedroom. The lights are dimmed, but Robin has a small torch and is reading the last few chapters of a trashy romance novel. It’s awful, but she’s enjoying it in a secretive, guilty way, and has been sharing some of the more awful parts for Nami’s benefit too.

“The sea’s been so calm,” Nami continues, and Robin folds down the corner of the page, turning the light off and setting the book on her bedside table.

“Maybe it’s making up for what happened,” Robin says, though she is only partially serious. She’s never believed in things like that before, though if anyone deserved that kind of treatment from the world, it was Luffy.

“Maybe,” Nami says, voice a little muffled. “He’s worked hard to get better.”

Robin hums in agreement, sleep pulling at her already. She remembers, only a few weeks ago, lying here with Nami in the dark, both too worried to sleep. She remembers them both calling it off, sitting instead of faking sleep, holding hands as silence sounded around them. She remembers bringing in the other members of their crew when the infirmary needed peace and quiet, and how they’d all sat together, trying to forget, just for a short while, that Luffy might die because of them.

It was dramatic, Robin can admit in hindsight. Of course Luffy wasn’t going to die! He’s Luffy. But there, during the days he was so still and silent, it was a real threat.

“Onto the next adventure,” she comments quietly. Robin listens for a moment, but judging from Nami’s breathing, she’s already asleep.

Just as well; Robin’s drifting into sleep too, and it’s been a long while since they’ve both slept this easily, that’s for sure.

**.**

It’s not that it gets easier, Luffy thinks, but he’s gotten better. Better at managing, better at not thinking, better at accepting… take your pick really. Chopper knows this, but the others don’t (Luffy thinks), and that’s fine.

Sometimes Luffy still thinks they have his crew. Sometimes, when he forgets where he is, often in the moment before waking, panic laces through him and Luffy is back in the tunnel room, giant den-den mushi staring blankly at him. In that moment he’s ready to fight blood boiling, and it’s only when his eyes have adjusted to the light that he realises he’s home. He’s safe, his family are safe, and they’re moving onwards.

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t the worst thing to happen to him. Perhaps to his crew, Luffy will admit, but it’s barely a stain on bad things that have happened to Monkey D. Luffy. He doesn’t regret protecting his crew, and things worked out well in the end, didn’t they?

There is a speck on the horizon, and Luffy tilts his chin, inhaling deeply.

“Land!” he shouts, and he can hear his crew running to the deck, all of them excited to get back on track with their next adventure.

Nami’s checking her log pose already, altering their course. Brook’s the one steering them, as Franky poses dramatically, swinging Chopper about. The others are watching with smiles on their faces, and Luffy doesn’t think he can love people as much as he loves his crew.

“Aright then,” Luffy says, and he jumps down from his perch atop Sunny’s head. “Let’s go on an adventure!”

He hears half-exasperated sighs and half excited cheers. Luffy grins, a look that is mirrored by each and every one of his crew, and they nod at him, prepared for the best and the worst.

There is a hazy shape to the side, and Luffy cocks his head, his grin widening as the curve of their flag comes into view. It’s a marine ship, a perfect warm up, and he bellows out his sight, though he’s sure someone is already clocking the marines too.

The road to becoming the pirate king was never going to be an easy one. Luffy has always had faith in himself, and it’s only grown since he’s gotten to know each member of his family. They are all going to be great, the stuff of legends, no matter what.

It’s an adventure they want, and it’s an adventure they’re going to get, Luffy decides, and he turns to face the oncoming island. He is whole, with his family at his back, and there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that will come against them.

They are strong, and they’re only going to get stronger.


End file.
